The Tyranny of Captain Cronus
by Youwillneverseeme
Summary: There's a new pirate crew in Never Land, and they don't plan on sharing its treasures. Very soon, everyone is feeling the sting of their captain's insatiable greed. Nobody is safe, not even Captain Hook, as everything cherished about Never Land threatens to come to an end. Have Jake and his pirate pals finally met their match?
1. Prologue

**The Tyranny of Captain Cronus**

**Prologue**

The cabin was dark and musky. The rear window was so caked in dirt that light struggled to seep through. Captain Cronus sat at his fine, mahogany desk and stared at the blank page before him. A deformed candle illuminated the paper with a yellow hue. An ink-soaked quill stood over the surface like an executioner's axe, poised in the captain's burly grasp. On a good day, he would guide the quill over the paper with the grace of an artist with a paintbrush or a duellist with a rapier, but on that day his mind was as empty and blank as the page that lay before him.

A cabinet to his right held a vast collection of leather bound books. Thrilling Fantasies and budding romances crafted by the sharp minded men and women who carved on the pages. There were only two books left that he had yet to touch upon, and they were the tales that didn't interest him much. He had both read life and witnessed it first-hand, he could take any nook or cranny from his prison of a home and write an essay about it, but still, nothing.

A drop of ink swelled on the feather's tip before dripping off and landing on the paper, punctuating a full stop to a non-existent sentence. At least now the page and his imagination had a different: one of them wasn't blank anymore.

Cronus grumbled. It was pointless. He dipped the quill back into the inkwell and slammed the book closed. If his talent were to come out, it had to be on its own terms. He reached over to the cup standing on the edge of his desk and poured the contents into his parched mouth. The foamy beer was warm and flat, but still capable of quenching thirst. The bitter taste mingled with the meaty and fishy aroma that still lingered on his tongue.

He descended from his chair, his head coming close to a hanging lantern. If there was one thing that he disliked about his cabin, apart from the lack of light and abysmal interior, was that it didn't accommodate for his six-foot-seven stature. He glanced over at the coffer he proudly displayed in his cabin, with the emphasis on the word 'proudly'. He opened it up and looked down at the hill of gold, diamonds, and rubies that filled half of the inside. As a wise pirate once said: "The chest that is half empty is also half full."

The captain disregarded that notion as he shut the lid. It wasn't enough, not by a longshot. Ever since he set sailed on his first voyage years ago as a young and naïve buccaneer, he had dreamed of glorious raids, treasure hunting, and streaming his fingers through waves of riches beyond his wildest imaginations. Now, as a captain, he found himself no better off than since he started.

Complete desolation threatened to take over Cronus' mind. The beer tasted worse every day. The food was developing a blood-like tang to it. He felt like he had been locked away in his room for generations. He imagined the four walls of his cabin as the tomb of his final resting place, a tomb to a man nobody either recognised or favoured.

He had a sudden urge to get some fresh air. He grabbed the dark blue overcoat that lay sprawled over his chair and put it on, securing the thick buckle and strap around his waist. Captain Cronus felt thankful that he was able to procure a coat that provided for his height and physique. Next, he retrieved his scabbard belt, complete with two sheathed cutlasses, and strapped it over his belt. His hat lay opposite the empty cup on his desk. It was all black with the front and sides folded up, and had a pristine, white feather decorating the top. He had to put on his hat outside the cabin, otherwise it would just get caught in the lanterns.

Before he stepped outside, Cronus stopped for a moment to examine himself him the full-length mirror that ornamented his cabin. His body was a thing of perfection, probably not on the inside but most definitely on the outside, with arms and legs as thick and strong as tree trunks. He wore a button-down, black shirt and vest beneath his coat, along with a pair of grey trousers and brown boots. He didn't bother with ruffles or wig or laces, they were too flamboyant for his style.

Cronus leaned in close to the reflective surface and glared at the face that glared back. His icy blue eyes stood behind a pair of dropped eyelids, half-open as if he were always half-asleep. His Greek nose and high cheekbones complimented his kempt, brown beard and medium length hair. He couldn't help but notice the many lines growing below his eyes and on his forehead, which made him look older than his current age of thirty three. He may have looked a little rough, but he bet he could sway a girl or two.

He walked over to the exit, his thick boots thumped on the wooden floor with every step. Taking a deep breath, he clutched the door by its handle and turned it. A blast of ocean air gusted through the opening, filling his nose with its salty perfume. The air alone made Captain Cronus feel revitalised, almost as if he were a new man. He stepped out onto the deck, and was instantly greeted by the blinding sun. His blue eyes stung as they took their first rays of natural sunlight for the first time in what seemed like days. Not a single cloud specked the sky. A breeze swept past him cool and calm, rustling the tails of his coat and the hair on his chin. He felt like he could just stretch his arms out and fly like the seagulls that hovered overhead.

The ship, The Grey Raven, carved through the waters like a hot knife through butter. The deck that stretched before him was immaculate, if only that amount of cleanliness could go into his own cabin. The grey sails stood open far above his head, bloated outwards in the strong wind. The hull was constructed out of strong wood that had a grey tint. This ship was a mechanical masterpiece. Not only was it one of the most stylish, fastest, and strongest boats anyone could ever lay eyes on, but it only required a crew of five people to control and maintain it. It was most unfortunate that the previous captain did not have enough time to enjoy its splendours before the title fell upon Cronus.

Captain Cronus strolled down the deck, placing his hat on his dirty hair. The scabbards that hung from both sides of his waist clinked against his thighs. To his left, he spotted the first crew member: Flint. With his trimmed goatee and parted hair, Flint's appearance screamed culture and sophistication. He wore an elegant pirate outfit and a gun holster strapped around his chest, fitted with two shiny flintlock pistols.

Flint finished tying a rope in place and waved a lazy salute. "'Afternoon, Captain."

"Good afternoon, Flint." Cronus replied.

Upon reaching the main mast, Cronus traced his eyes upwards. He followed the upmost yard to the end where he unsurprisingly located another crew mate: Animal. The smallest member of Cronus's crew, Animal stood five-foot-five and had the body of a stick insect on a diet. He lay perfectly balanced on top of the sail. His long, wild, black hair drifted in the breeze. Even though he was hundreds of feet above the deck with no means of safety, he lay with his arms behind his head and his bare feet dangling off the sides as if he were snoozing.

As the captain reached the stairs leading up to the forecastle deck, he spotted a dark figure wearing a shredded robe sitting on the lowest step. The man had his bald head buried in a thick tome filled with cryptic words and symbols. Captain Cronus kept his mouth shut as he passed by. The man lifted his head and glanced at his superior, revealing a set of jagged, glowing tattoos across a jagged, wrinkly face. His eyes were grey and dead, devoid of any kind of emotion. He nodded before retreating back to his book. No-one had ever gotten his name, but Gloom was what the crew had come to call him. He was a man who rarely spoke, but when he did, each syllable carried a lot of weight.

Cronus reached the end of the deck where he found his first mate, Trig, staring off into the horizon. At first glance, Trig was about as typical a pirate as anyone could get. Messy, brown beard. Sinewy body. Eye patch. Do-rag. White shirt. Cloth pants. Worn boots. Yellow teeth. Gold tooth. Cronus stepped beside his first mate and joined in on the brisk task.

"Welcome back, Captain." Trig said with a salute. "I was beginning to wonder when you were going to come out of there."

"At ease, Trig." Cronus spoke. "How goes it? I trust everything is running smoothly."

"As smooth as a sharpened blade." Trig answered. "The weather is kind, morale is high, the ship is strong, and everything is in place upon reaching new land."

"How long ago since we departed from that last island?" The captain asked.

"Three weeks, two days, six hours, twenty two minutes, and fifteen seconds." Trig answered without as much as a second to think about it. "And that's taking into account that little incident with the desert island that delayed us by thirty seven minutes."

Trig was first mate for a reason. Underneath his rough exterior and his tattered clothes, lay a brain of pure gold. He was a human mechanical calculator, able to solve even the trickiest of mathematics in sheer seconds. Trig absolutely loved to count, there was not a single thing in the world that he couldn't stick a number onto, which was why he was placed in charge of storage control and meal portions. Cronus wouldn't be surprised if he knew exactly how many wooden planks formed the Grey Raven.

For a second, Cronus considered asking how long he had stayed cooped up in his cabin, but decided against it. He didn't even want to think about how much time he wasted staring at a blank page. "Are we close to reaching dry land yet? I grow tired of waiting."

"If my calculations are correct, and they are, we should be reaching land very soon."

"I've heard this before, Trig." Cronus stated.

"Captain, I informed you well in advance that a delay of a week was about as fine-lined as I could get, regardless of weather conditions, and we've been pretty lucky with that so far."

"Of course, Trig." He paused. "I'm just hopeful that our next destination will be much more fruitful than our last one."

Trig sighed. "Me too, Captain. Me too."

The slow patter of footsteps converged behind them, but neither of them paid attention. Flint walked by and casually sat at the foot of the bowsprit. "It's another beautiful day, Captain."

"Thank you for stating the obvious, Flint." Captain Cronus said sarcastically.

"May I take a gander on what's for lunch later?" Flint said and he leaned back. "Or is that a stupid question?"

Trig answered. "One portion of fish, two pieces of bread, and one pint of grog. It's as simple as that."

Cronus resisted the urge to grumble. It was always fish and meat and bread and beer. Every day. Fish, bread, meat, beer, meat, fish, meat, bread, beer, beer, fish, beer, bread; it was driving him crazy. What he wouldn't give for some fresh fruit, or a crunchy vegetable, or heck, a cup of clean water, at least.

Flint unbuckled a flintlock from the holster, pulled back the hammer, and aimed it towards the sky. "How 'bout dessert?" Suddenly, he pulled the trigger. The flintlock erupted with smoke as the gunpowder ignited, discharging a round bullet into the air. Neither Cronus nor Trig were startled by the sudden bang. Flint slowly eased the gun back into the holster as the gunshot echoed across the ocean. After a few seconds, a white blur landed between them. The three men glanced down at the seagull slumped before them. "Anyone for fresh seagull?" Flint said with a smile.

Slowly, a smirk appeared on the captain's stone face, followed by a much needed snigger. Trig smiled, barely able to contain his laughter.

Captain Cronus' laughter rapidly subsided and he pointed a stern finger towards his crew member. "You're going to have to clean that up, bear in mind."

Flint jumped off the bowsprit. "What's there to clean up?" He brought his foot up and drove it down inches away from the bird. His shoe struck the ground with a hollow thud. Miraculously, as if his foot had some kind of resurrection spell, the bird sprang to life. It clambered onto its feet and spread out its wings, revealing a single, charred feather tip where the bullet had grazed. The bird ran down the deck before it took off in flight, banking slightly to the side while it adjusted for its chinked wing.

All three men began to crackle with amusement. Trig clapped a slow round of applause. Flint tipped his head forward, taking a bow.

"You know, Captain, you were locked away in that cabin of yours for a very long time." Flint began. "Did you get any writing done? Something with beautiful, exotic women, I hope."

Cronus sighed. "Not a single word… and none of my books are helping."

"Not even your favourite one?" Trig asked.

"Not even that." Cronus rubbed his eyes and saw the pages of text engrained into his retina. Not even sleep granted him escape. "I guess all my inspiration has dried up."

"Well, don't worry. I'm sure we'll break that writer's block on the next island we find." Trig comforted. "And hopefully break open a few treasure chests while we're at it."

"I sure hope so, Trig." Cronus said. "And it better be soon. I can't stand the thought of spending another week cooped up in that cabin, staring at a blank page and having nothing but a half-filled chest of wealth to comfort me."

"A wise pirate once said: 'The chest that is half empty-,'"

"'Is also half full.' I know."

Just then, Cronus turns back to the deck and peered over its length from where he stood. A massive revelation struck him - there were five men aboard the ship: Trig, Flint, Animal, Gloom, and himself. He was standing with Trig and Flint while Gloom sat at the bottom of the stairs and Animal lay on top of the main mast.

_Wait, who's steering the ship? _Captain Cronus felt his heart sink. _Don't tell me! _He narrowed his eyes over to the ship's wheel at the opposite end, and spotted a crude assortment of ropes tied around it.

He faced Flint with angry eyes. "You idiot! I told you not to do that again!"

"It's no big deal, Captain." Flint defended himself. "It's a straight piece of open sea, and we've got great visibility… and I'll admit I was getting pretty tired, so..."

"That little stunt was what nearly crashed us into that desert island, and cost us thirty eight-,"

"Thirty seven." Trig corrected.

"_Thirty seven…!_" Cronus said before pausing. "Minutes of our precious time. You were lucky Animal just happened to be nearby. Perhaps maybe it was a mistake to not abandon you there, since you were so eager to crash into it."

Flint shook his head, all the while retaining his cocky smile. "Captain, we both know I'm too useful to let you do something like that."

Captain Cronus opened his mouth as if to say a stiff retort, but quickly acted against it. As much as he hated to admit it, he couldn't deny that Flint's marksmanship was far too valuable to let wither and die on some desolate pile of sand. That and the fact that both he and Flint were the only people aboard who knew how to sail the Grey Raven, and spending hours at the wheel by himself didn't tickle the Captain fancy. "You are exceptionally talented, I'll give you that. Just be thankful I was in a good mood that day."

Flint shook his head once again and giggled. "Sure, whatever you say, Captain."

"But, I must warn you, even my patience has its limits. If you keep this up, you'll find yourself taking a long walk off a short plank."

"Captain…!" A voice called out that Cronus' ears barely picked up. He followed the voice upwards and found Animal waving his arms. "Captain!" Animal repeated.

Cronus took a few steps closer. He cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted. "What is it, Animal?"

"Land ho!" Animal yelled while pointing a skinny arm towards the west. He held a spyglass before his eye.

Cronus followed the direction of his hand and stared out into the distance. After a few seconds of searching, he managed to spot of slither of green on the horizon. Green was a rare colour in the captain's mind, the only times he ever saw it aboard the Grey Raven was when a food provision went bad. Green meant grass, and grass meant land. Although, until he was sure that the bump was not a figment of his imagination, he needed proof.

He shot his gaze back up at the skinny crew member and called out at the top of his lungs. "Let me take a look through that spyglass!"

Animal must have caught that, because as soon as Cronus shouted those words, he rolled back off the yard and fell. Animal fell for a second before he grabbed a rope and swung onto the foremast. He descended from mast to yard to rope with an elegance that put monkeys to shame. The skin on his hands and feet, as hard as leather, grabbed the rough rope and wood with potent grip. In only a few seconds, he had managed to travel from the top of the main mast straight down to before his captain's feet. Upon landing, he held out the spyglass as if he was giving someone a present.

Cronus regularly found himself wondering whether Animal was truly human. The sails of the Grey Raven were Animal's own personal playpen, and everyone could watch him bound between masts and ropes with flawless precision. He could swing between them for hours and never break a sweat.

Captain Cronus took the spyglass and brought the lens to his eye. "Thank you." He peered across the water, over to where the green hill was located. A smile crept onto his face and he realised that it was, in fact, a mountain, and that it was connected to others mountains and a volcano. He looked lower and spotted a flat land full of trees and vegetation.

"Land ho, indeed." Cronus said gleefully. "Nice work, Animal."

Animal saluted. "Always ready and willing, Captain."

Trig stepped from the forecastle dock, almost tripping over Gloom who remained glued to the lowest step. "I'll go get a map."

While he waited, he ordered Flint to get off his backside, unravel that blasted contraption tying the wheel in place, and set a course for the unknown island. Eventually, Trig returned, holding in his possession a collection of maps that detailed most of the barren seas and the islands that divided them.

Trig took one of the maps and examined it. "Let's see… we left this island here…" He pointed on the map. "And we've been travelling in this direction for a period of over three weeks…" He traced his finger upwards. "With excellent weather… and a delay of thirty seven minutes… which would suggest that…" Trig suddenly went silent. His jaw hung open. His eyes went wide. His face contorted into an expression like he had just discovered the meaning of life.

"What is it, Trig?" Cronus queried.

Trig gazed upon his captain his bewildered eyes. "Captain…" He murmured. "We've found Never Land."


	2. Chapter 1: A day like any other

**Chapter 1: A day like any other**

Waves lapped on Never Land's sandy beaches. Seams of thick, lively jungles filled the island. There were enough weird, colourful locations, and valuable treasures to make your head spin. The locals ranged from the birds who lived in the skies to the mermaids that traversed the waters. A place where everything is enchanted and everyone is friendly.

Unless, of course, your name happened to be James Hook.

Deep inside the Never Land jungle, a figure dashed through a thick of foliage and sprinted down the worn, beaten path. Jake moved as fast as his boots - with the letter J etched into the sides - would allow. His spiky, black hair rustled as he ran. Sweat formed from his hairline, only to be soaked up by the red bandanna wrapped around his forehead.

Tucked under Jake's right arm was a statue shaped like a cat and made out of pure gold. This was the second time he had to burden its weight, the first being when he and his fellow pirates dug it up after following the directions on a map. His bicep began to burn. His fingers struggled to find a decent grip of the statue's smooth surface.

The jungle canopy blocked out the sun, the leaves glowed a crisp, golden colour. Gaps allowed rogue rays of light to pierce the leafy roof. It was always humid in Never Land, but the canopy did a great job of locking in more heat. It felt like a pressure cooker in there – a few degrees more and his blood would be boiling. The trees, plants, and vines blurred as he rushed past them. The boy couldn't decide whether their lack of focus was due to his movement or his draining fatigue or whether this was a place he had never visited before, with a clever name like Fuzzy Forest or Blurry Brush. The only sounds were that of frantic breathing and beating footsteps, both his own and that of his pursuers.

Jake looked back and saw another figure pop out of the bushes. It was a tall man wearing a scarlet outfit and hat. He had a thin face with a big nose, long chin, black moustache and a five o'clock shadow. He had a steel hook where his left hand should be.

"Get back here with me treasure, you puny pirate!" Captain Hook bellowed, pointing his hook hand in the direction of the fleeing boy.

Jake stopped in his tracks and faced his chaser. "It's not yours, Captain Hook. It belongs to us." With that, he turned back on his heel and continued to run.

Captain Hook grumbled with frustration. "I stole that statue fair and square! It's mine!" He was about to resume his chase when he stopped himself. Glimpsing back, he spotted a short, podgy man with white mutton chops and a striped shirt pacing towards him. A pair of small, thin-rimmed spectacles bounced up and down on his nose. "Hurry up, Mr. Smee!" Hook yelled. "Don't let that boy escape!"

Mr. Smee bobbed up next to his captain. His face flushed red. His potbelly inflating and deflating like a balloon. "I'm running as fast as I can, Cap'n." He spoke in-between breaths. He was exhausted, and the fact that he was the one to carry the golden cat statue all the way from Pirate Island didn't help in that matter. "But, I'm awfully tired."

"Well, you can get not-tired after we get that treasure back." As Hook said that, the two of them resumed their chase on the pirate boy.

The horrible feeling of fatigue continued to grow in the boy with every step he took. He briefly looked back and caught Captain Hook and Mr. Smee gaining on him. At this rate, he wouldn't be able to escape, they would catch him and take back the statue. Jake tried to quickly come up with a plan or some kind of idea that would give his pursuers the slip.

Fortunately for Jake, that part was made for him when, all of a sudden, he stumbled across a slippery slope that twisted and turned down a steep hill and carried on as far as his green eyes could see. A small flicker of hope sparked in his heart, maybe there was still a chance after all. He made a dash for the mouth of the slide, grabbing a large leaf from a nearby branch. A leapt over the edge and threw the leaf below his feet. Using it as a surfboard, he began to slide down the slope.

"Woohoo!" Jake hollered.

Hook reached the foot of the slope first. His anger just continuously got higher as he watched the pint-sized pirate escape from his grasp. "Blasted barnacles!" He stamped his feet. "Smee, get me my-," His sentence was interrupted when a drained Mr. Smee came running up behind his captain and accidentally bumped into him, sending both of them tumbling over the threshold. "SMEE!" Hook screamed as gravity took over.

Jake followed the winding slope until, eventually, it broke away from the canopy. He had finally escaped the blistering warmth of the jungle and was rewarded with some cool air. Jake caught a view that spread towards the edge of the sea. He could see Never Peak and Belch Mountain, and Skull Rock in all of their glory. The sands of the beach could be spotted down below, along with his trusty ship, Bucky, who was docked by the shore.

Jake turned back around again to see if Captain Hook was still so adamant on re-stealing the treasure, and lo and behold, there he was along with his first mate. Mr. Smee slid down on his belly, his face full of fright. Captain Hook sat perched on Smee's back, using him as his own personal sled.

_That Hook sure is determined, I'll give him that. _Jake thought to himself.

"Keep it steady, Mr. Smee." The captain said as he detached the hook from his wrist and replaced it with a plunger. "The treasure will be mine once more!"

Jake couldn't help but let out a brief gasp. If Hook got the statue, it was all over. He looked up ahead, and spotted a fallen tree trunk that lay over the slide. A smile appeared on his face when he spotted three individuals – a brown-haired girl, a blonde-haired boy, and a green parrot flying overhead - poised on the trunk: Izzy, Cubby, and Skully.

"Jake, throw it to us!" Izzy shouted.

Cubby jumped up and down, waving his hands high. "Pass it, Jake! Pass it!"

Captain Hook edged closer and closer to the treasure under Jake's arm. In just a few seconds, he would snatch it with his trusty plunger hook and it would be his.

Jake smiled. "Not this time!" He looked up to his friends, who were rapidly approaching. "Catch!"

All of Jake and the Never Land Pirates' days of playing Coconut Catch were finally about to pay off. Working the odd statue in both hands, he tossed it into the air as high as he could. Hook made one last swipe, but fell short. The statue rose as if it were flying, until suddenly it disappeared behind the overhead tree trunk. Izzy, Cubby, and Skully caught the statue together, all of them almost toppling over the edge.

"We got it!" Skully shouted in triumph.

Jake shot his fist upwards. "Yo ho, way to go!" He cheered.

Jake, Hook, and Smee slid under the horizontal tree. The golden cat was out of Hook's reach, but he still had one more trick up his sleeve, or rather _on_ his sleeve. He span around on Smee's back until he was facing the opposite direction, aimed his plunger at the statue, and fired. The plunger shot from his wrist while remaining attached to a length of sturdy rope. The suction cup made contact with its target. The three buccaneers were awfully surprised when the treasure that they had just worked to acquire was pulled from their grasp as quickly as they retrieved it.

"A-ha!" Hook yanked on the cord. The cat flew straight into his waiting hand. He held it straight up like he had won a trophy. "Mine once again!"

"Yay hey, no way!" Izzy said.

Jake, who was glancing back, saw what just happened. "Uh, oh!" He murmured. He turned to see what awaited him further ahead. His pupils narrowed. "UH, OH!"

Just up ahead, the slope broke away into two paths. The path on the left ended with a ramp; a hundred foot jump with only jungle foliage to break ones fall. The path on the right lead to a flat clearing, empty of trees, a great place to stop.

Acting out of impulse, Jake reached to his right and snagged a hanging vine. He held on tight, hoping it wouldn't snap on him. The vine tautened and Jake was pulled to the right, whereupon he slid onto the slope that he wanted. He skated down the remainder, reached the grass clearing, and skidded to a halt. He gawked back and caught sight of the human sled and his passenger as they took the left path, and headed straight towards the ramp.

Mr. Smee gulped. "Uh… Cap'n?"

"Not now, Smee!" Hook said. "Let me celebrate my…" He spotted, too late, the upcoming ramp.

The bumbling pair flew off the end, flying hundreds of feet into the air. Hook, Smee, and the statue separated. They screamed as they descended high above, stopped then they reached their apex, then resumed screaming as they began to lose altitude.

Cubby turned to Izzy. "Izzy, this is an emergency!"

Izzy reached into the pouch that hung from around her neck. Her fingers felt the sensation of soft dust at the bottom. "Then it's pixie dust away!" She announced as she grabbed a conserving amount between her index and thumb, and tossed it upwards. Sparkles filled the air and landed upon the two kids. The pixie dust bestowed upon its wearer a temporary ability to defy gravity. With no time to lose, they flew straight towards the distressed pirates.

Izzy reached back into the pouch and sprinkled a tab more pixie dust on the two men and the statue. They came to a stop in mid-air, floating in a cloud of glitter.

Captain Hook crossed his arms and pouted, all while upside-down. "I guess you're expecting some kind of thanks…" He spoke. "Well, you're not getting one."

"It's okay, we've gotten used to that." Cubby responded.

Izzy grabbed the golden cat and said. "See you around, Captain Hook." The pirate kids flew away, leaving Hook and Smee to hover there helplessly. They flew over to the grassy clearing and sprinkled a little pixie dust on their leader. Now, with Jake accounted for, the pirates flew directly to the shore, where Bucky was.

Captain Hook watched as the pirate pups flew up towards their ship. Slowly, the captain and his first mate descended closer and closer to the ground as the dust wore off.

Mr. Smee waved. "So long, pirate pups. Thanks for the lift." He called out. "My, that was ever so nice of them, wouldn't you agree, Cap'n?"

"Oh, yes. That was so considerate of them…" Hook spoke with a generous dollop of sarcasm. "And now they're flying away all adorable like…" His façade ended. "With me treasure!"

The two were mere feet away from the highest palm tree. Hook took a wild guess as to what kind of fruit the tree bared, and just his luck, it was coconuts. Oh, how everything seemed to remind him of those pesky popinjays.

Hook continued. "At least this day can't get any worse…"

After that statement there was silence, and then from that silence a small, barely audible, but highly recognisable sound began to rise.

It sounded like… ticking.

_Tick Tock Tick Tock Tick Tock Tick Tock_

Captain Hook felt his heart sink - or rise depending on his perspective. He traced his eyes towards the ground. His old enemy, the Tick Tock Croc, gazed up with yellow eyes that bounced to the rhythm of time. The crocodile opened his toothy mouth and licked his scaly lips. Captain Hook's left hand, despite being more bones that skin, was apparently so delicious that the Croc has spent the majority of his days afterwards seeking to finish the meal that he started.

Captain Hook screamed. "Save me, Smee!" He flapped his arms, desperately trying to fly away.

The Croc leapt up and took a bite towards the captain. Hook arched his body back, narrowly avoiding the beast's ferocious mouth. He grabbed the coconut tree and clambered up its thin trunk until he reached the leafy top.

Mr. Smee joined his superior at the top. "Saving you, Cap'n!" He looked down and there was the Tick Tock Croc surrounding the foot, glaring up at the two men above as if they were a piñata. "…As soon as I figure out how…"

* * *

_Two hours later…_

For Captain Hook, it didn't feel like two hours, they felt like an entire day. Getting the Tick Tock Croc off his tail was no easy task, but he succeeded, somehow. He dragged his feet while he and his first mate traversed back to their ship, the Jolly Roger. A name that did not describe the captain's current mood.

Once again, Captain James Hook: the terror of the seas, winner of the most nefarious pirate award, number one on the Never Land most wanted list, was going home empty-handed – outsmarted by a bunch of youngsters playing pirates, and not for the first time. He wondered what those kids had been doing during his brush with the crocodile. They probably could have had lunch, and are playing a game with one of their treasures, but he had no doubt they would have put all their doubloons into that team treasure chest of theirs.

Mr. Smee patted his captain on the back. "There, there, Captain." He said. "There's always tomorrow. You never know."

"Yes, Mr. Smee…" Hook responded groggily. "…There's always tomorrow… and the day after that… then the one after…" He rubbed his face with his remaining hand. "I feels like tomorrows are all I've got left these days."

Eventually, they reached the beach where the Jolly Roger was docked. The captain kicked up mounds of sand. There was a time in Hook's life, back before he became a pirate and still had possession of his left hand, when he used to enjoy the seaside. Now, walking on sandy shores was one of the key skills on his résumé. Hook raised his eyes up and examined his ship. The sails were folded up and the anchor was down.

As Hook and Smee got closer, music began to fill the air. They were able to identify the instruments being used: an accordion and a mandolin. They walked up the ramp and onto the deck. Sharky and Bones were seated on the thick railing beside the steering wheel, playing their instruments. Their playing stopped the moment the captain set foot on the deck.

"Welcome back, Cap'n." Sharky said. "We kept everything spick and span whilst ye been gone."

Hook gazed down at the deck, and they weren't kidding, a glum man stared back from beneath his feet.

"Aye." Bones added. "Got every inch we did." He noticed his captain's expression. "Did everything go alright?"

"Do I look like I'm carrying a golden statue? Of course it didn't go alright!" Hook snapped. His depression returned as he descended the stairs and slumped over the steering wheel. "I need something to cheer me up. Play me one of those songs of yours."

"Right away, Captain." Sharky said. The musical duo began to play a jolly tune, which they accompanied with lyrics:

_It's a small world after al—_

"No, Not that! That's only made it worse!" Captain Hook screeched, making Sharky and Bones stop. Oddly enough, judging by the kick-start of his ratty attitude, it seemed like it did the trick. "Bah! Enough dawdling, the day is still young! Crew, open the sails and hoist the anchor, we're setting sail."

Saying this, Sharky and Bones dropped their instruments and followed their captain's orders. A few moments later, the Jolly Roger had gone from stationary to mobile. Hook had his hand and hook gripped firmly on the wheel, not letting it go wild on him.

The ship navigated around the island, breezing through the waters. The constant back-and-forth rocking was as natural to the crew as their own beating hearts. The lands rotated as they moved around.

Bones looks out at Shipwreck Beach. "Oi, Sharky." He started. "Look at that funny-looking shipwreck out there." Bones pointed towards the beach. "Me thinks I've never seen that one before."

Sharky followed his finger to where it was pointing, and located the particular ship he was referring to. A dead-looking ship with grey sails and hull, floating upright in the shallow water, almost as if it were still afloat. The Jolly Roger crew have passed by Shipwreck beach hundreds of times, but never before had any of them noticed that wreckage.

Mr. Smee took interest in what Sharky and Bones were looking at. "Wha'cha looking at, boys?" He asked.

"Oh, nothing much." Bones answered. "Just that shipwreck over there."

Smee looked out and saw the grey ship. He narrowed his gaze upon it. "That doesn't look like a shipwreck…" He reached into his pocket and retrieved his small, silver spyglass. Bringing the lens to his eye, he observed the scene, and noticed movement on the beach. A skinny man climbing up a palm tree. A robed figure moving under the shade of a wrecked hull. Even a man with a hat and dark overcoat. "Would you look at that…" He whispered. "Pirates."

"Pirates?" Bones and Sharky said in unison.

Captain Hook heard that. "Pirates? Who, what, where?" He asked.

Mr. Smee pointed towards the shore. "Sir, an unknown pirate crew have landed on Never Land."

"What?!" Hook bellowed. He gazed out using his golden spyglass and spotted the crew. "More pirates? Here? This is unexpected."

"What is your course of action, Cap'n?" Smee asked. "Shall we load the cannons?"

"Of course not, Mr. Smee. They must be new to Never Land, and that makes us the welcoming committee." The captain pointed at the sails. "Change route for Shipwreck beach. We have visitors to greet."


	3. Chapter 2: Captain meets captain

**Chapter 2**

**Captain meets captain  
**

Captain Cronus felt both sick and relieved as he stepped on the soft sand. Its cushy nature reminded him of the luxurious, thick carpets that adorned the floors of the snottiest chateaus in the snootiest regions of the Never Seas. Of course, with him being of unroyal heritage, his encounters with such carpets were on unofficial terms with the owners. His stomach swished and turned, moulded from three weeks of constant rocking. Yet the sensation of land beneath his feet - natural soft ground, and not that of wooden decking - was a godsend. He felt like he could just kneel down and kiss it, if only there was a way to avoid turning his beard sandy blonde. Although, it probably would taste better than what he's been eating lately.

The beach where they had docked was littered with the carcasses of ships. The empty shells looked ancient, worn from sand, sea, salt, and time. Cronus observed a hull that was half-buried in the sand, and couldn't help but wonder what type of ship that was when it was seaworthy, and the kind of people who manned it. No doubt they were people far ahead of his time, people who had already lived lives that had come to an end by both natural and unnatural causes. The Captain knew all too well that his time was limited, and eventually, his story would come to an end just like the timber skeletons that were laid to rest here.

Already, his trusty crew were scoping out their landing location. The captain was not surprised to see Gloom sat beneath the shade of a barren cabin, reading his mysterious book. His tattoos seemed to illuminate the shadow. Funnily enough, studying that manuscript was the only thing the Grey Raven crew have ever seen him partake in. They've never seen him eat or sleep or bathe or even go to the bathroom.

At the jungle's edge, Animal sat at the top of one of the many palm trees. He reached down into the leafy shrub and procured a fresh banana from the bunch that hung there. He peeled away the skin and chowed on the fruit. Anyone looking at him could easily mistake him for a local while monkeys could mistake him for one of their own.

Cronus approached the tree and called up. "Animal, toss me a banana down."

Animal raised an eyebrow. "Sir? You don't like bananas." He spoke with his mouth half full.

"Are you disobeying a direct order?" The captain responded.

Without saying another word, Animal reached back to the bunch, picked another banana, and tossed it to his superior, who caught it with one hand. Cronus shed the yellow skin, revealing the white inners. He crammed most of it into his mouth and took a big bite. His teeth began to chew on the soft centre, turning it into a gooey mush. The texture and flavour dancing on his tongue immediately made him want to vomit, but dang it, it was fruit! Real, good, honest fruit. Cronus swallowed, his gulp could be heard from miles around. He shuddered as the taste hit its peak. He had never been happier to eat something so revolting. His eyes watered from both the taste and his emotions.

He could almost feel the solid, marble block of writing crumble away in his brain. All of a sudden, he felt like he could write until the day he died. Novel ideas, tales containing rich, sandy beaches and young, charismatic protagonists and gripping, heart pounding dilemmas flooded into his head. There was land beneath his feet. There was a shore for the water to lap against. There was fresh food to eat. For the first time in weeks, the captain felt truly alive.

Flint strolled around aimlessly, observing every shipwreck the beach had to offer. "I don't like this…" He said. "Not one bit."

"What's not to like?" Cronus asked. He popped the remainder of banana into his gob and wolfed it down before the flavour could register. He threw the peel away. "We've reached land, not to mention Never Land."

"It's not the island that worries me, Captain." Flint confessed. "It's just this beach."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, look at all these wrecks." Flint spread his arms wide. "Somehow, all these busted ships have ended up here, and only here, on this one specific piece of shore. Doesn't that strike you as a bit odd?"

Cronus paused as he allowed that thought to sink in. First, his mind ran with a newfound consciousness for the location itself, next came a million possibilities. Perhaps this beach holds some kind of magic. Perhaps there was a battle some hundred years ago, and these were a portion of the ships that had fallen.

"Maybe…" Cronus struggled to answer. "Do you reckon this place has a name?"

Flint scratched his goatee. "Well, this place is a beach… and it's full of shipwrecks… so…"

Suddenly, a bell rang from back on-board the Grey Raven. The crew may not have heard it in months, but they were still very much accustomed to what it was. It was the alarm bell. The only person who could be ringing it would be Trig, and Cronus trusted that he would never ring it unless there be an actual emergency.

"That's the alarm." Cronus said. Animal jumped down from the palm tree, and Gloom shut his tome while standing up. "All hands on deck."

Cronus charged back towards his ship, irritated that such circumstances have forced him away from the sweet sensation of soft ground. He ran up the ramp and found his first mate ringing the bell at the back behind the steering wheel. Trig turned the crank with one hand while spying through a glass with his only eye.

Cronus was about to question Trig when the answer hit him in the face. He spotted the foreign vessel coasting below the horizon, no need for a spyglass. The ship was slightly smaller than the Grey Raven, at least it was from far away, and had red and black striped sails.

Trig pointed at it. "Captain, that ship is approaching our position."

If there was anything that Cronus had learned in all his years of piracy, it was that an incoming vessel was hardly ever a good sign. When a foreign ship has the audacity to come straight towards you like an arrow being shot at a bulls eye, especially when you're out in the open sea with nothing of interest within eye distance, one gets the sneaky suspicious that the dwellers aren't popping around for a chat over tea and biscuits. The only times a foreign ship ever came close to being safe was when an acquainted captain was behind the wheel, and even then there was a constant chance of that said person having seconds thoughts.

Flint and Gloom reached the guardrail while Animal shimmied up the main mast and onto the middle yard. Gloom opened his book, flicked to a particular page and traced his finger towards an incomprehensible line of text. He was ready. Say the word and he'll say the words. Flint unclipped both flintlocks from his holster.

Cronus took the spyglass from Trig and used it to zoom in on the ship. The first thing he spotted was the figurehead, which was a fish with its gob wide open. He traced his eye over the hull, and observed no signs of aggression, no hatches opening or cannons being placing in position. He scanned the deck and counted four individuals. Two men stood on the main deck, a tall, thin one and a short, round one, who tugged on ropes to control the sails. Following the deck to the end, he spotted a man who was clearly the ship's captain, along with another who was clearly the first mate. The captain's identity was given away by his fine clothes and massive hat - complete with an elaborate feather - which clashed with the dress sense of his minions.

"I can spot the captain for all the way over here." Flint said. His eyes were as sharp as an eagle's. "Anyone who wears a red outfit like that is begging to get shot." He brought a gun up to his eye level. "That can be arranged."

He was about to shoot when a burly hand grabbed the top of the gun, pinning the hammer in place. "Don't be hasty." Captain Cronus said. "Let's not do anything rash. We are strangers here, we don't need to ruin our welcome before it's even begun." Flint pulled the gun out of his captain's grip and went to reluctantly put it away until he continued. "But stay on your guard, as well. If they strike first, you have my permission to retaliate."

"Good to know." Flint said. "I might die, but at least they'll know that I've been ready."

Cronus ignored his comment while he focused his attention to their most pressing matter. The red and black ship sailed right up beside them, both hulls mere feet apart.

The crimson suited man spoke in a roaring voice. "Greetings, fellow travellers! Daring explorers! Mischievous pirates, and…" He struggled to come up with another phrase. "…The like!" He unhanded the wheel and walked down the stairs. "Let us be the first to introduce you to Never Land."

Captain Cronus remained silent. His eyes traced back to his crew, each of them looked back with raised eyebrows. This was most unexpected for any of them. Nobody is this friendly and upbeat on the seas; eventually, niceties fail to exist and only stark cynicism remains. Even the most friendly of pirate crews come off as brash and crude, but are gentlemen by comparison. This was a new angle, a curveball, that Cronus was being played, and he was the fool until he could find out the motive behind it.

The man continued. "Behold my prized ship, the Jolly Roger." He took his hat off and bowed. "I am Captain James Hook: the famous-,"

For a moment, Cronus thought he had misheard that name. "Hook?" He interrupted. "You say your name is… Hook? _The_ Captain Hook?"

Hook's face lit up at those words. However, he was muddled by the accent in the man's voice – it was so bland, so sophisticated, so not-pirate-like. Nevertheless, his choice of words were joyful. _Finally, someone with the aptitude to recognise my greatness. _"Why, yes! It's rare to find someone-,"

"No, no, hold on a second." Cronus interrupted again. "I've heard your name before, but I can't remember where." He faced the deck. His eyes were closed, mind deep in thought.

Hook felt his cheery expression melt from his face like he had been robbed, which was something he had no problem dishing out, but struggled to take. He placed his hat back on and watched as the unknown captain repeated his name.

"…Captain Hook…" Cronus turned to the sky. "…Captain Hook…" He began to click his fingers in metronome. "…Captain Hook… Oh, that's right!" His eyes shot open and pointed at the man he remembered. "Captain James Bartholomew Hook?"

Captain Hook smiled once more. "Yes, yes, that's it! That's me! Then you must know of my many feats of glory."

Cronus continued. "I've heard so much about you. The man with a hook for a hand. Never Land's most feared pirate. The terror of the Never Seas."

"Oh, please," The Jolly Roger captain felt flattered. "You're far too kind."

"Yet you couldn't defeat a boy wearing green tights." The crew on the grey ship, with the exception of the man wearing the robe, chuckled along with their captain.

Hook sighed, his smile faded. "Sharky? Bones? Stop standing about and extend the walkway." He said glumly.

"Aye, Cap'n." The thin pirate, now know to Cronus as Bones, responded.

The two scallywags pushed a platform from their deck until it connected to the Grey Raven. Without as much as a consent, Captain Hook barged on-board the Grey Raven to its captain's resentment.

Captain James Hook walked up Cronus, and found himself tilting his head back farther and farther the closer he got to him. He thought this guy looked smaller from far away. By the time they stood toe-to-toe, he was pretty much facing the sky. He stared up at the man's fuzzy face and found himself entranced by the blue eyes that seemed to gaze directly into his soul. It was like if he stared into them too long his blood would turn to ice, somehow.

Hook broke his gaze and decided to scan the man from head to toe. He found himself drawn to the two silver hilts connected to individual leather sheaths on both sides of Cronus' waist. Hook fondly remembered all his years of sword practice, even back to the days when he was swinging sticks around for fun. He had heard tales of men and women opting to go above using a single blade in combat, and instead dual wield, with one in each hand. Anyone who fights with this style is either extremely skilled or overconfidently stupid, and he had yet to determine which category this captain fell into. Considering how hard Hook found it to expertise the use of one sword, he couldn't imagine how hard it would be to simultaneously fight with two and not risk causing more damage to yourself than to your opponent.

Captain Hook went to place his hand on his sword, then realised that he didn't bring one. All of a sudden, he felt very vulnerable standing before the armed man. Not to mention the smart-looking pirate over from where he stood was packing firepower. Hook couldn't remember the last time he had seen a flintlock pistol, he was sure that he had access to one in the past. It was like ever since that puny Jake and his puny friends showed up, all guns on Never Land seemed to have vanished into thin air. He didn't have one, and nobody else in Never Land would even be caught owning one.

"It's an honour to meet the famed Captain Hook." Cronus greeted.

"Humbled, I'm sure." Hook extended his only hand. "Pleasure to meet you, Captain…?"

"Cronus." He answered. He had to do a double take as to which hand to shake with - his version of the story depicted the hook to be on the right. "Captain Ezekiel Cronus." He clutched the hand before him. "The pleasure is all mine. I'd offer you something to eat, or a beverage, but I wouldn't even feed it to the birds."

Hook watched as the fellow captain's paw enveloped his own, followed by a crushing grip. Pain shot up his arm, but he remained composed, allowing himself to show no weakness before the giant. Mercilessly, Cronus released his grip. Hook wriggled his fingers and was relieved to find that the bones hadn't turned to dust. Losing one hand was bad enough, he didn't need to lose the other.

"That's quite alright. I've had more than my fair share of bites today." Hook said while shaking the cramp out of his fingers. "What brings you to Never Land?"

"We are merely drifters who have stumbled across this place. For many months, we have sailed across an endless ocean and have searched islands far and wide for adventure and fortune. So far, out travels have brought us little of both."

"In that case, you have come to the right place. For there is no better place to find both of what you're looking for." Hook reached behind Cronus' back and placed the claw on his shoulder in a friendly manner. "We shall talk in private. I do wish to know you better, Captain Cronus."

Hook and Cronus strolled over to the railing while the rest of the two crews moved to the far end, Animal climbed off the mast and joined them. They managed to catch the men trying to make conversation.

"First mate Trig." Trig said as he stepped forward and extended a hand. "How do you do?"

"Why, hello there, I'm Mr. Smee." He stepped forward, shook his hand, and then gestured to the others. "And these here are Sharky and Bones. It's so wonderful to meet a fellow first mate." Smee glanced at the beach. "I see you found Shipwreck Beach."

"Shipwreck Beach? That's what it's called?" Flint spoke. "How… imaginative."

The two captains reached the deck above the cabin, away from the discussion building between the men.

Hook ran his finger across the wooden rail. "This is a fine ship you got here, such intriguing architecture… and range of… colour." He had only seen the grey ship for about five minutes and already its monochrome palate had become nauseating. Only now did he realise just how precious brown, red, and black really were. "Whatever do you call it?"

"The Grey Raven." Captain Cronus answered. "Never before have I laid eyes upon such a charming vessel. Fastest ship I've ever seen, but it won't be winning any beauty contests anytime soon."

Now it was Hook's turn to laugh. "It's good to see that you have a sense of humour, another rarity among pirates."

"So, what have you been doing since the tale I've heard?" Cronus asked. "Your legendary story ended with you swimming hand, hook, and feet into the sunset with a certain hungry crocodile chomping at your rear-end." He ended with a chortle to the dismay of the one-handed captain.

"A lot of happened, my friend." Hook said, finding his manners. "Ever since, that infernal Peter Pan has left Never Land to explore the lands beyond the Never Seas." He waved his hand across the ocean view. "But I do hope to one day attach a ball and chain to his ankle and make him walk the plank."

"I'm assuming you have took this opportunity to benefit now that your archenemy is out of the picture?"

"Of course, I am the famous pirate extraordinaire after all. With no Peter Pan to get in me way, there was nothing stopping me from claiming my fame and fortune, for it was rightfully mine."

"Is that so?" Cronus leaned on the balustrade and stared out to sea. "Because I sincerely doubt that."

"What?!" Hook chocked out, but quickly kept his cool. "I mean, whatever gave you that idea?"

"You say that you have collected a vast amount of wealth, yet here you are still living on the Jolly Roger, it's the same ship you owned several years ago, except now you only have three men as opposed to an entire fleet." The Grey Raven captain turned to face him. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say your luck has not changed, even without a Peter Pan to interfere with your schemes."

Hook felt a bead of sweat escape from under his hat, a product of both embarrassment and anger. He had met some sharp customers in his lifetime, but this one could split a hair strand. He wiped away the droplet, faking it as a scratch.

Cronus continued. "How about we get these pleasantries out the way, Captain Hook. I'm still waiting for an explanation as to why you and I are having this conversation, and I know it wasn't simply to compare ship sizes."

* * *

"This one don't talk much, don't he?" Bones gestured to the robbed man with the tattoos.

"Don't bother trying to get a word out of him." Animal said. "Gloom only speaks when he needs to."

Bones averted his attention from Gloom's lifeless eyes towards the book under his shoulder. He caught sight of the strange marking on the front cover. As a lad, he had heard legends of mysterious pirate mages – those who were able to bend magic to their whim. They came in all shapes and sizes, no one method being exclusively viable. There were those who channelled magic through the wand, just like Misty or the Pirate Princess. There were also those who were themselves magical, like Pip the Pirate Genie. However, he had heard rare rumours of a strange, dark magic that only few can find, and even fewer can wield. Its power being so great, it had the potential to destroy entire civilisations.

"That's a funny-looking book you got there." Bones reaches out to take it. "Can I take a little look? I'll give it back, cross me heart."

Gloom leapt back, pulling the tome away from his reach, protecting it as if it were his own life. Bones, in turn, flinched upon seeing how serious this guy was with his book.

"Please, don't do that." Trig responded. "Gloom here is very protective of his book for it is his livelihood. That is your only warning."

"Alright, I'm sorry." Bones waved carefully at him. "Sorry, Gloom."

The robbed man didn't speak, nod, or even smile. He let out an irritated grunt before opening the book and flicked a few pages.

"If he could talk, I'm sure he'd say you're forgiven." Flint joked.

"Me hates to sounds greedy, but your captain mentioned something about beverages?" Sharky asked.

"Oh, that?" Flint waved a dismissing hand. "He was just talking about the beer we got stocked."

The second the word _beer_ left his mouth, the eyes of the Jolly Roger crew widened.

"Did yous just say…?" Bones began.

"Beer…?" Sharky finished.

Beer: the most precious word in the English language. It had been many a year since any of them had tasted the bitter flavour of barley and wheat. The drink that made life a little bit easier.

There was an awkward moment before Trig continued the conversation. "Yes, he did. We got plenty down in storage. It's a little flat, but still serviceable. If you wanted some…"

"We'll trade you for it!" Mr. Smee jumped at the call. "I'm sure we got some little bits and bobs around the Jolly Roger. Let us go check."

He wasn't about to run back to his ship when Trig stopped him. "No need to trade, we got plenty to spare. It's the least we can do for our guests." Trig opened the hatch leading inside the ship. "I'll fetch a few bottles."

* * *

"Captain Cronus, you are new here to these lands. I am simply offering you guidance." Hook explained. "We are both pirates, and we both understand the importance of fame and fortune. I am familiar with these parts, and you clearly have some…" He glanced back at the men. "Fascinating companions." He turned back. "I propose that we take this opportunity to help each other out in this time of need."

Cronus smiled. He was getting closer to the motive_. _"Cooperate how?"

"Simply put, I'll help you get your bearings in Never Land and introduce you to all the treasure you please, and in return, you can aide me against some unsavoury characters."

_Getting warmer. _"Go on."

"There's a crew of the nastiest, most relentless, most despicable pirates anyone could ever lay eyes on. They terrorise Never Land with every step they take. They steal and take what they want. They simply cannot be bargained or reasoned with. They are a menace and they must be stopped."

"Are you going to describe them to me now, or would you like me to ask again after I meet them?" Cronus folded his arms. "Look, it's been pretty clear from the word go that you are merely trying to use me for your own personal gain. I've received worse threats from my grandmother."

Captain Hook's lip began to twitch, and it wasn't because he had been smiling too much. He had been made the fool many times before, but this guy was turning it into an art form. He opened his mouth to speak, and felt the pleasantness in his voice dripping down his chin. "I'm telling you, you blasted buffoon, these pint-sized pests are—"

"Lost boys?" Cronus muttered. _Found it._ "These 'despicable pirates' of yours are lost boys?" He suddenly felt old. The idea of lost boys as pirates sounded absurd, even to him, and he had seen much stranger sights in his time. "You traded Peter Pan out just so you could be tormented by more children? I must say, I wasn't expecting much from the famous pirate extraordinaire, but you are a sad, sad man."

Captain Hook clenched his teeth, anger sputtered from his mouth. "Who are you to speak to me like that? I am Captain James Hook!"

"And you think your so-called fame gives you authority over me." Cronus leaned in closer to meet Hook's eyes. "You have the nerve to walk onto my ship and say 'let us cooperate for the betterment of ourselves', when what you're really saying is 'be my attack dog because I can't handle a bunch of snot-nosed kids'. While I appreciate your bravado, Hook, I'm going to have to turn down your opportunity."

"Cronus, you're making a big blunder here." Hook placed extra emphasis on the word 'big'.

We shall see about that…" He grabbed Hook by the jaw, and smiled. "As captain of the Grey Raven, you have my eternal gratitude for your warm welcome to this enchanted land." His smile turned upside-down. "Now, get off my ship."

* * *

The Jolly Roger hoisted the anchor and sailed away from the beach, and the ship (and that blasted captain). Hook held the wheel tightly, his face rife with rage. He felt like the biggest fool in all the seas. Hook had approached the crew with the intent to manipulate them to his advantage, only to find that their captain possessed something more valuable than any treasure in the world: brain cells.

Mr. Smee stood next to his captain. "Well, Cap'n. Wasn't that interesting?"

"No! No, it was not!" Hook exploded. "I've got two pirate crews to compete against, Jake and his puny popinjays, and now, Captain Cronus and his band of misfits."

"Then what now, Cap'n?" Smee asked. "Do we soldier on as normal?"

Hook tried his best to calm down, but to no avail. Today was just not his day. "Yes, Mr. Smee. Full speed ahead." He looked back and gazed at the Grey Raven. Its captain watching them from afar with his beady, blue eyes. "We'll have to keep an eye on that crew, at least until they leave, _if_ they leave. They could be trouble, and I've got too much of that as it is."

"If you say so." Smee said. "At least they were kind enough to give us some beer."

"Mr. Smee, I'm in no mood for…" He paused as a particular word reached a special part of his heart. "Save some for me. I think I need some tonight."


	4. Chapter 3: Lost and found

**Author's notes**

**I didn't want to make a note this early into the story, but I feel that I must address something first just in case. From the 26th of July till the 3rd of August, I will be away on holiday and will be unable to update this story for that one week. I will try and post the next chapter before then, but I can't promise anything, which is why I'm telling you this now instead of leaving you all in the dark for an entire week with no explanation as to why.**

**With that being said, please enjoy this chapter.**

* * *

**Chapter 3**

**Lost and found**

The large hand on the pirate ship alarm clock pointed straight down, while the small hand landed between ten and eleven. The mechanism activated and the tiny bell, which hung high above the miniature sails, sang its unforgettable song.

Jake was catapulted from the land of nod as his consciousness returned to his body. He forced open his eyes, only to be greeted by the underside of his red, sword-patterned quilt. Reluctantly, he reached over and silenced the clock's wail, the muscles in his arm still stiff.

He let out a sigh as he sank deeper into his pillow. He felt a tidal wave of disappointment wash over him. He just had the most wonderful dream, one that felt so real and he never wanted to wake up from, lucid and vivid. Peter Pan had returned with an urgent mission beyond the Never Seas – an adventure so big, that he required all of their help. Jake and his mateys flew with Peter to foreign lands with beautiful islands and landscapes. They encountered perils big and small in which they all managed to overcome with teamwork. They had just reached the final obstacle when all of a sudden the fire breathing dragon roared a mighty howl, which turned into the alarm on the clock.

He threw the cover off, only to see the underside of Cubby's bed. Jake clambered out, his sandaled feet landed on the blue rug with a skull logo that lay on the even, stone floor. His legs wobbled upon taking his weight, still drained from yesterday's activities. As a pirate, Jake was already an active kid, but the events involving the golden statue had really pushed his limits.

The bedroom of their hideout, while not the fanciest place in all the land, was more than suitable for their sleeping needs. The walls were carved rock, grey with a faint, blue tint; it was a glorified cave, but there was no better place where they would rather rest their heads. The basin stood at the side wall - a crude wooden cabinet with a couple bowls of water, a mirror hanging above, and a towel rack by the side. A small, purple barrel stood as a stool to accommodate for the smaller mateys. Sunlight seeped through a hole in the far corner of the ceiling where a pole extended from above.

In the bed over from Jake's, Izzy sat up straight. The pirate lass let out a yawn while rubbing the tired out of her brown eyes. The other day had been kind on her. Her cheeks were as rosy as ever on her tanned complexion. She pulled away her bandanna and hairbands, letting her brown hair down, which was more reminiscent of straw from a haystack.

"Good morning, Izzy." Jake said with a groggy voice.

Izzy pulled her quilt aside and shifted to the edge of her bed. "Good morning, Jake. Izzy is reporting for duty." She jumped off her mattress. "What's wrong? Not up for the old _all hands on deck_ vibe?"

Jake stretched his aching muscles. "Not today, Iz." Jake explained. "I'm just a little stiff from yesterday."

Movement caught Jake's eyes as something stirred in the hollow barrel that hung over the foot of Izzy's bed. A green parrot reared his head from the cushy interior, shaking the fuzziness out of his feathered face.

"If you thought that statue was heavy," Skully chimed in. "Try lifting that when you're my size."

From the bed above Jake's, Cubby stirred from under the compass-dotted sheets. His eyes remained glued shut. He began to giggle. "No-ho-ho… don't…" He whispered between fits of laughter. "Not that… anything but…" His giggling continued to rise.

Jake and Izzy watched with perplexed looks as the pirate kid thrashed about.

Skully flew over and landed on the rail. He leaned in close and said. "Cubby, wake up." The chubby kid was in stitches now. "Cubby!"

Cubby fluttered his eyes open, revealing his blue irises. He gasped, his laughter came to an end. "Huh? What?" He sat up, rubbing his eyes. "Aw, coconuts." He looked around and found his mateys staring at him. "What?"

"Wow, Cubby…" Skully said. "That must have been some dream you were having."

"What are you talking about?" Cubby asked, his cheeks turning red.

"You were just laughing in your sleep." Izzy said. "It was like something was tickling you."

"What? I was?" Cubby scratched the brim of his bandanna. "I was just having the strangest dream. We were all students at this school and Captain Hook and everyone else were the teachers and then Jake became a girl and Izzy became a boy," He took a breath. "And there was this other girl who claimed to be part of our crew and we all knew her but never seen her before then everyone turned into feathers and started to tickle each other and then you woke me up."

For the longest time there was silence. Jake, Izzy, and Skully gazed at Cubby, their faced contorted into the weirdest expressions they could muster.

Skully was brave enough to break the silence. "Wow… that sounded crazy." He faced Jake and Izzy, then turned back to Cubby. "I mean, another girl in our crew? Really?"

The hollow quiet was broken by the sudden outburst of laughter. Everything was back to normal.

Putting the strange dream behind them, they went through their daily routine. They bathed, washed their hair, brushed their teeth and got dressed into their usual attire. They went to the dining room and fixed themselves some hearty breakfast. The table was rectangular and fitted with four chairs at each side; two of them were tree stumps with fitted backs while the other two were barrels. Skully sat on the end of the table while chowing down on a plate of crackers, the savoury mountain was three times taller than him. Cubby sat at the other end, thoroughly enjoying his coconut breakfast cookies. Jake sat in-between them. He had gotten himself the islander's version of a bowl of cereal, half a coconut filled with granola, washed down with a cup of mango juice. The young buccaneer felt rejuvenated as the final drops of nectar went down the hatch.

"Feeling better, Jake?" Izzy asked. She sat opposite to Jake. Her breakfast, a fruit salad, still remained half-eaten. She shovelled a slice of apple and banana on her spoon and popped them into her mouth. One of the great things about their lifestyle was that they never struggled to get their five a day.

Jake stood up, skidding the tree stump back. "Yeah, I'm feeling great."

"There you go." Skully said. He gobbled up another cracker. "All you needed was some time to wake up."

After finishing breakfast, the crew stepped outside onto Pirate Island's beach, exiting through the secret door. From where they stood, they could see everything. The jagged rock with the impaled ship had not changed. The mountains were still as prominent and green as ever. They scanned the sea-bitten shore, searching for anything that washed up, whether it be some new toy or a message in a bottle. All they could see was seaweed. The sun was blazing down hotter than normal.

Cubby fanned his hand over his face. "Aw, coconuts, it's so hot today."

"No kidding." Izzy said, wiping sweat off her forehead. "We must be in the middle of a Never Land heatwave."

"You know, mateys?" Jake began. "We've been working hard over the past couple of weeks. I think it's time we took the day off."

"That sounds good." Said Cubby. "But what are we going to do?"

"How about we go to Pirate's Plunge?" Jake suggested. "We haven't been there in weeks."

"Yo ho, that sounds like fun." Izzy said.

"Ah, Pirate's Plunge," Skully reminisced. "I still remember the time Old Feather Hat blocked the river and drained the falls."

The decision was unanimous. The pirate crew proceeded back into the hideout, and got ready to head out. They collected their swimming gear, along with a few towels and their beach ball. Cubby found his map that led to the location of Pirates Plunge.

Bucky's grotto was easily the most spacious area of the hideout. Its expansive ceiling and wide walls were more than big enough to house the little ship. A waterfall concealed the cave exit, and it could easily be controlled on and off whenever Bucky was required to leave. The pirates boarded Bucky from the slide that extended from the ceiling.

"Is everybody ready?" Skully asked_. Crackers. Why do I keep saying that?_

Jake held up his wooden sword, carved straight from the trunk of the Forever Tree. If one were to visit the said tree, they would find a blade shaped profile in its veiny skin. "I got my sword. I never leave the hideout without it."

"I got my map." Cubby reached into his pocket and retrieved a scroll containing careful illustrations as to where to find their destination, gifted to them from Peter Pan himself.

"And I got the beach ball." Izzy triumphantly held up the primary coloured sphere in her hands. There was a sudden silence after she said those words, followed by the awkward stares from the rest of her mateys. "And my pixie dust." She took one hand off the ball to divert due attention to the pouch that hung from a string around her neck. "Just in case there's an emergency or something."

Jake climbed up the steps and took hold of the steering wheel. "Yo ho, let's go! To Never Land, Bucky!"

Bucky chimed his bell. He opened up his blue and white striped sails, complete with a picture of a gold doubloon. Bucky sailed out from the grotto, the waterfall momentarily stopped to allow him and his passengers to depart without getting drenched.

Jake and his crew had sailed to and from Never Land more times than they could remember. Each trip felt shorter than the last. Bucky breezed through the sea, rocking ever so gently from left to right. It wasn't long before the mountains of Never Land were in their sights, the island that offered something new every time they travelled its rich settings.

Jake looked out to the flat, blue line that separated the ocean from the sky. His thoughts reverted back to his dream, or the pieces he could remember; his mind had already begun to purge the imaginary reel out of existence, but the most exciting parts were still there. He wondered what Peter Pan was doing right now, far, far away in strange lands. He could only imagine, just like in his dream, what kind of adventures the boy was getting involved in these days. Jake's memories wandered back farther and recollected the day Never Land was on the brink of vanishing - the day he was offered a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to fly with the boy who never grew up. It was a choice that he chose to accept, but later turn down. While he never regretted his decision to remain with his friends, he sometimes wondered where he would be today had he decided to go with Peter. There were probably millions of alternate universes out there, each one holding a different decision made at a certain time, and each one a completely different world because of it. In one of those universes, there existed Jake and Peter Pan: Guardians of Never Land.

The young pirate leader broke out of his thoughts when Bucky sailed up against the shore. Bucky extended the blue walkway and his passengers disembarked. Jake, Izzy, and Cubby carried their swimming gear and towels under their arms. Cubby retrieved his map with his free hand and scanned the directions on the surface.

"Follow me, mateys." Cubby said as he gestured forward with the map towards an opening between the trees, the paper flopped to the side. "Pirate's Plunge is that way."

Jake said. "Lead on, Cubby."

Cubby led the way, walking down the theoretical dotted line. They travelled deeper and higher into Never Land. Eventually, their ears picked up the sounds of rushing water, like there was a waterfall hidden behind the acres of trees. They began to pick up the pace, excited to dip their toes into the sweet, cool waters of Pirate's Plunge.

Jake had a head start on the rest. "Last one in's a-," He stopped as they reached the falls. The smiles on their faces vanished. The cliff loomed high above. Water spilled over the edge, guided down by three intertwined slides until they pooled down below. The water was surrounded by seamless, untouched sand.

That wasn't the only thing they saw. There were other people at Pirate's Plunge, and it wasn't Captain Hook.

* * *

Captain Cronus sat on a deckchair, scrawling in his notebook. He had a crate positioned by his side, its current purpose was to hold the inkwell that stood on the square surface. He withdrew the quill back into the inkwell, dabbled the tip into the black fluid a few times, and then reintroduced it to paper.

His coat lay on the back of the chair, its length touched the ground. His hat slung off the edge, over the coat's shoulder. His scruffy hair was allowed to bask in the clean air and shining sun.

Ever since he landed upon Shipwreck Beach, he and his crew had spent the rest of their time getting to know the strange lands that lay before them. So far, their travels have taken them to the oddest and most outlandish places he has ever seen. A canyon where cannonballs constantly rolled up and down the slopes. A hedge maze with vines that attempted to tickle you if you got too close. A bee hive that buzzed a sleep-inducing drone. The list went on.

His attention was drawn to a holler that sounded from above. Animal slid face first down the waterslide. The expression on his face was that of pure joy like a child on Christmas day. He reached the bottom and splashed into the waiting body of aqua. He lay submerged for a couple of seconds before bursting to the surface. He arched his head back, spat a stream of cold water from his gob, and ran his fingers through his soaking hair.

His spit came close to hitting Flint, who sat half-submerged at the edge of the pool. He instinctively brought his hand up to shield his face.

"Hey, watch it." Flint hissed.

Suddenly, a splash hit him from the side, soaking the side of his hair, plastering it to his skin. Flint turned to find Trig, the first mate, sitting with his feet dipped in the pool.

"Relax, Flint." Trig splashed more water on him. "A little water never hurt anyone."

Flint didn't say anything, but instead retaliated by fighting fire with fire, or rather, water with water. Trig chuckled as a wave of liquid splashed on him, dripping into his beard.

Cronus glanced over at the large, slanted rock that stood at the water's edge. Gloom sat atop the rock, doing the only thing that he does best. Not even the gigantic slides nor the prospect of refreshing water on a hot and sunny day could entice him to put down his precious tome.

Cronus retreated back to his notebook, and wrote with the freshly loaded quill.

Joining the inkwell on the crate were two other objects: a cup filled with freshly squeezed orange juice, and a book. This wasn't just any run-of-the-mill novel: it was one of a kind, written on high quality paper, and by someone who nobody had ever seen. It was rumoured that the book had once belong to a young child who came from a faraway world many years ago. All traces of that child vanished just as quickly as he or she appeared, everything except for this piece of literature. The outside was not made of leather or wood, but card. The front cover was tarnished beyond recognition, whatever elaborate art that adorned the face had been erased by the sands of time. There was a title at the top that was barely legible.

**Ham…e…**

**Wi…l…m Sha…esp…ar…**

"Hey, look." Animal called out, getting everyone's attention.

Cronus broke away from the page. "What is it, Animal?"

Animal pointed towards the clearing. "We have guests."

Cronus rotated himself in his chair and faced the pathway. Just as his crewmate had pointed out, there was company. There were three children and a parrot standing at the clearing. They were dressed in a fashion that was popular with the wonderful world of piracy, but had a look of innocence smeared across their faces. They were all carrying rolled up towels and one had a multi-coloured ball.

Ezekiel Cronus took one look at them and couldn't help but smirk at what that one-handed has-been said about them. _So, these are the despicable pirates Hook was talking about. _When he learned that these pirates were also lost boys, he could only envision what they looked like. Apparently, Hook wanted these kids out of his hair so badly that he tried to manipulate Cronus into doing his dirty work. The boy standing in the middle was obviously the leader - he was the tallest, even if he was just over four-feet tall. The short, podgy lad was clearly frightened, his little knees were shaking. The girl was the one that confused Cronus the most. They were called lost boys for a reason; for one, they were forgotten children; and secondly, they were boys, never girls.

"Uh oh." The short child whispered, hiding behind the girl. "I don't like the look of them…"

"Let's not judge a book by its cover, Cubby." The tallest one, the boy with the black hair and green eyes, said. "Let's go to them and say ahoy. They might be nice people."

The Captain ascended from his throne, setting the notebook and quill back to their places. "Greetings, little pirates." He walked towards them.

"Ahoy there." The leader boy smiled warmly, greeting them like they were old acquaintances. "I don't think we've seen you before."

"I wouldn't think so, young lad." Cronus replied. A smile arched on his lips, bewildered that a child of about eight or nine years old greeted him with the phrase 'ahoy'. "My crew and I just landed here yesterday. We've been exploring these lands ever since."

"Is that so? It's good to see that you're settling in." The boy continued. He pointed his thumb to his chest. "I'm Jake." He motioned to the others. "And these are my mateys: Izzy, Cubby, and Skully."

The girl, now known as Izzy, waved. "Pleasure to meet you, visitors."

Cubby struggled to look Cronus in the eye. "Umm… H-hi…" He remained partially hidden behind Izzy.

"Hi there." The parrot greeted.

_They terrorise Never Land with every step they take. Eh, Captain Hook? _"Such manners are rare among pirates… not to mention lost…" Cronus was about to say the word 'boys' when once again he was drawn to the exception to that rule. "…Children. I am Captain Ezekiel Cronus, and these are my crewmates." Individually, he announced each member. "I've heard a little about you from your friend, Captain Hook."

"What did he say?" Jake asked.

"That you were the most treacherous pirates to ever lay foot on Never Land, and he wanted me to take care of you while he profited. I didn't believe a single word of it."

Animal and Flint climbed out of the water. The former shook himself dry in the same way a dog would. Flint and Trig were caught in the hail of droplets that flew from his body. Gloom shuffled to his feet and peered over his tome while keeping it partially ajar.

"Trust that sneaky snook to pull a trick like that…" Jake said. The sight of many eyes on them made a small hint of uneasiness developed in his tone. "Anyway, it's always great to see new people around here, Never Land doesn't get many visitors."

"Really? The island in the middle of nowhere isn't a great tourist spot?" Flint said sarcastically while wiping moisture off himself "Why am I not surprised by that?"

"Don't be snide, Flint." Trig said as if he were a mother scolding a child. "Have some manners."

Cronus motioned at their towels. "I see you were looking to take a swim, yes?"

"We were actually, yeah." Izzy responded. "This is Pirate's Plunge, and it's our favourite swimming spot."

"Pirate's Plunge, eh?" Cronus said. "Well, I regret to inform you that there isn't any space for others to join."

"…Okay, good…" Cubby stuttered. "I don't think I can trust them anyway…" Cubby felt the cold sensation of sweat breaking beneath his bandanna. His eyes darted back and forth between the strangers. The captain, as tall and toned as he was, looked like he could tear Cubby into tiny pieces with his bare hands. Flint had this glint in his eyes, one that portrayed dark intent. Gloom just screamed mysterious, staring with his sunken eyes and constant grimace. Cubby wanted nothing more but to escape from their sight.

"Yeah, it already looks crowded enough as it is." Skully added.

"It would seem so, mateys." Jake said. "The only question is: what do we do now?"

Cubby felt his hands fidget. He broke them apart and placed them in his pockets. His fingers brushed against a piece of parchment in his vest. He almost jumped, his heightened fear interpreted the unexpected object as a fuzzy insect that somehow crept into his pocket while he wasn't looking. His fright was over quickly as he got a grip on himself. He focused his attention back on the piece and pulled it out of his pocket. Cubby dared not look up on the chance that someone had watched him make a fool of himself.

The paper was folded and yellow and the edges were generous with rips. He opened it up. It was a map, one that he barely remembered making. Never Land was accurate and to scale with every shape down to a tee, including Skull Rock in the top right.

"Hey, check it out mateys." Cubby said, holding up the folded paper. "I've had this map in my pocket this whole time and I didn't even know it."

Jake said. "Where does it lead to?"

Cubby saw the three icons and the dotted line that connected them. "It leads to treasure that's buried in Never Peak Mountain."

In his zeal, he didn't notice that Captain Cronus was towering over him, taking a peek at the map. "Interesting map." He said, making the pirate lad jump out of his skin. "Where did you get that?"

Cubby murmured, his tongue unable to make complete sentences. He struggled to look the captain in the eyes. They were blue like his, but way colder.

"It's okay, Cubby." Jake comforted. "Go ahead and tell him."

Building up a mountain of courage, Cubby opened his mouth and words came out. "It's mine… I drew it myself."

"Is that so? Incredible." Cronus turned to his first mate. "Trig, come over here and look at what this kid drew."

As requested, Trig stood from the pool and waddled himself over. Sand and grass stuck to his drenched feet. Trig leaned over and observed the map with his only eye, taking it in in all of its fine detail.

"Let's see… This is shipwreck Beach right here…" He pointed at the map. "We travelled this was until we found that canyon… then we went this way to those hedges… which means that we are here at Pirate's Plunge." He pulled back, satisfied by what he had saw. "Excellent work there, young lad. You're quite the cartographer."

A smile finally formed between the boy's chubby cheeks. "Hey, thanks. I…" He stopped, dumbfounded. "A carto-what?"

"A cart-o-graph-er. You do know what a cartographer is, right?" Trig's question was met by dumb silence from the pirate scamps. "Map maker. A cartographer is someone who makes maps."

"Ohhhhhhh." The children and pet parrot said in unison.

"Well, since these guys have already occupied Pirate's Plunge, how about we go hunting for some treasure instead?" Jake suggested.

"Yeah!" The rest of the kids shouted together.

Animal spoke up. "In that case, you might want to be careful in case that Captain Hook tries to get it before you do."

"Don't worry about us." Izzy replied. "That crook is always trying to swipe our stuff."

"Good." Animal smiled. "Because he's hiding behind that bush right over there."

There was a line of shrubbery that lined the edge of the jungle, consisting of a muddle of vines and bushes. A feather stood out alone from above the foliage, its lack of colour and fluffy texture set it apart from the environment, making it stick out like a sore thumb. The eight-and-a-half pairs of eyes focused on its location.

Jake folded his arms, tilted his head, and smiled. _Trust that sneaky snook to be close at the first sign of treasure. _In fact, muttering that word attracted the captain the same way a dinner bell attracted a starving sailor.

"I think they see us, Cap'n…" Mr. Smee's recognisable voice whispered from behind the brush.

"Pipe down, Mr. Smee, or they'll hear us!" Captain Hook yelled as the feather rotated ninety degrees to the left. The feather returned back to its original placement and remained still. "They heard that, didn't they?"

"Me thinks they did, Cap'n." Bones said in his unmistakable twang.

The feather rose from behind cover, revealing the hat that it was attached to, which in turn revealed the man whose head it lay upon. Captain Hook stood there with a dejected posture. His crewmates stood up too. Jake and the Never Land Pirates were taken back by Hook's sudden change in appearance. His usually pale face was now a sickly green with deep blue lines below the eyes. Ill was not the right word to describe his look – more like he was mutating into some kind of slimy, gooey, gelatinous blob.

Hook struggled to raise his hook and wave. "Ahoy, puny popinjays…" An angry gaze was directed towards the Grey Raven captain. "Cronus."

"We meet again, Captain Hook." Cronus said as he bowed ever so slightly.

"Shiver me timbers, Hook. You look horrible." Izzy asked concerned. "Are you okay?"

Hook scowled as he attempted to retain his wicked demeanour… poorly. "I don't need sympathy from the likes of…" He cheeks puffed up before the next words came out. He clamped his only hand over his mouth and tried to stop whatever was coming up from coming up. Holding it no longer, he disappeared behind the bush once more. The sound of his retching gave away his position.

"Oh, the cap'n be okay." Mr. Smee said. "He just got a little too carried away with the grog last night, which the crew right here were ever so kind to give us." He reached into the shrubbery and patted his captain on the back. "There, there, Cap'n. Let it all out."

Jake and his pals all cringed at what Captain Hook was going through. They had heard stories of certain drinks that did funny things to those who drank them. Beer was the word. A drink that turned you into a slobbering, babbling mess, made you fat, and tasted like the underside of a dinghy. The worst part came when you wake up the next day and you go through something called a hangover, just like Hook was right there. Such stories have discouraged the pirate kids from ever touching a drop.

"Glad you could join us, Captain." Cronus said. "These young pirates were just about to go on a treasure hunt."

Captain Hook fumbled out of the bushes. "What a coincidence, so am I." He approached the little cartographer. "I want that treasure all to meself." He made a swipe for the map. "Now, give me that map!"

Swiftly, the children dodged his lumbering grab and made a break for the exit. Hook, all the while, was too sick to stop them. "See ya, Captain Hook. Later, Captain Cronus." Jake said while they ran.

"And get some rest, Hook." Cubby informed. "You definitely need it."

Jake and his crew disappeared into the brush, determined to outwit the villainous captain before he could reach the treasure himself.

Hook pointed at them. "Get them, you slobs!" He bellowed. "I want that map!"

The Jolly Roger crew followed his order and began to pursue the pirate pups, their captain tagged along behind in an awkward gallop. The Grey Raven crew were left standing there, speechless to what they just witnessed. Knowingly, the men turned to their captain.

Cronus took a few steps forward before facing his first mate. "Trig? Did you get a good look at that map?"

Trig smiled. "Yes, Captain." He pointed his index finger straight towards his brain. "I got it memorised all in here."

Cronus called out to everyone. "Let's have ourselves a little race."


	5. Chapter 4: Wealthy races

**Chapter 4**

**Wealthy races**

The first waypoint on the map, portrayed as three green bubbles, lay dead ahead. Jake and the Never Land Pirates stopped in their tracks, the leader coming dangerously close to stepping into the waiting sludge.

The swamp waters boiled like that found in a witch's cauldron, but it wouldn't be used to make potions anytime soon unless the drinker liked brown, thick, dirty slop with a hint of eye of newt. Bubbles rose from the depths and popped upon reaching air. Large quantities of steam hissed from the simmering surface, like ghostly spirits ascending into the afterlife, before disappearing in the open, cool air closer to the heavens. The wide body of water was spaced with spiny, black trees. The charred trunks waved in the heat like mirages. The branches were sharp and crooked and devoid of life. A constant hissing drone, similar to the sound of frying fat, vibrated in the air, drowning out all other jingles from the local wildlife.

Jake grabbed the collar of his shirt and tugged on it rapidly, fanning some much needed ventilation down his torso. "Blow me down." He said frustrated. He just could not get away from hot locations recently. At this rate, he was considering relocating to Chi-Chi-Chilly Canyon. "Where are we, Cubby?"

The map-reader checked. "Sizzling Swamp." He glanced over the map. No need to double check. "I think the title is pretty self-explanatory."

Izzy knelt down by the edge and slowly reached out, bravely testing the temperature. The nerves in the tips of her fingers shrieked as they made contact with the strands of white air. Almost instantly, she withdrew her hand. The ends of her fingers were red and throbbing, scolded from the split-second of contact.

"Yay hey, no way." Izzy sieved before blowing on the sore skin.

Down the centre of the swamp lay the remains of an old, rope bridge. There would have been a time when the bridge would have stood strong, and bared the weight of many-a-traveller. Its purpose now lost in a four-foot tide of simmering liquid. Rotten planks stood half-submerged in the boiling sludge. Charred lengths of rope coiled above and below like a serpent. It was crossable only to the most nimble-footed of toads.

The crew looked left and right across the swamp, weighing their options as to another means of crossing. The swamp stretched all the way up and down as far as they could see, so there was no pathway – that would have been too easy. The swamp was also wide, so the good old fashioned 'push a tree to bridge the gap' was out of the picture. The canopy was dead of foliage, so swinging on conveniently placed vines was not an option.

Jake noticed an empty shell, which was big enough to carry all of them, standing propped on a tree behind them. The inside was hollow like a boat, but nowhere near as ornate. "Say, mateys. Do you think we can use that shell to get across?"

"That water is way too hot." Izzy explained, still tending to her scolded fingertips. "We'll be cooked."

"Crackers!" Skully said, flying over the steam. "It's a shame you can't fly."

Just then, the grouchy dialect of Captain Hook echoed from behind. "Step lively, men." He said. "Those pint-sized pests when this way."

The pirate kids turned to face the foliage where the incoming cranky crook and his cronies were approaching, then turned back to the bubbling waters that separated them from treasure. A small glimmer of dread shadowed their minds, fears that their quest would come to an end before it had even begun.

Cubby felt frustrated for a rare moment in his life. He felt so angry with himself: he was the trusted navigator, the crew's sense of direction, and now their predicament was all his doing. Cubby kicked up a bunch of leaves. They shot into the air, dancing in their… leafy technique of spinning and cycling. Each of them went their separate ways. A yellowish leaf went to the left, completing a full loop before landing on soft grass. A healthy, green one waved towards the swamp and fluttered over the hostile waters. All of a sudden, it got caught in the updraft caused by the steam. The leaf took flight, its light weight drifted high towards the empty canopy.

An imaginary light bulb appeared over Izzy's head. "That's it! Cubby, you're a genius."

"I am?" Cubby asked, unsure as to what he did.

She stepped over to the foliage and picked an oversized feather that was as big as them. "We can use these leafs to glide on the steam to get across, just like a kite."

"Yeah, it's worth a try, Iz." Jake said. The impending footsteps were forever gaining. "We don't exactly have the luxury of time."

Following Izzy, Jake and Cubby both took a leaf from the nearby bushes. They picked the greenest, strongest, healthiest ones they could find.

Izzy took her leaf and held it above her head in both hands. She stared over the water to where dry land was and couldn't help but feel a small sense of apprehension as to what she was about to attempt. If this didn't work then she was about to become a little lobster girl, and not the glamorous type in one of Sandy the Starfish's songs. That exact same feeling urged her to take the easy option: reach into her pouch and use a little pixie dust.

_No, Izzy. Pixie dust is for emergencies only. _Izzy thought_. You're smart, strong, and brave. You can solve problems without it._

The pirate lass took a deep breath and braced herself. "Wish me luck, mateys." She said while taking a few steps back. Then, she charged towards the swamp. "Gangway!"

At the water's edge, Izzy leapt with all her strength. She travelled through the air with only scolding water below and a leaf above. Suddenly, she felt a strong force pull on her kite, which in turn, pulled her up. She glided across the swamp, rocking left and right. Those next few seconds felt like she had entered a sauna. The vapour lapped against her skin, making her pores scream and her lungs feel like hot air balloons. She glanced down and watched as the fragments of bridge zoomed past in hazy clarity.

Izzy reached the other side. Finally, she ended her grip on her makeshift kite. The soles of her red boots were free to make contact with solid, not-boiling ground.

"Way to go, Izzy!" Skully cheered while flying above the hazardous obstacle to where she was. "That's what I call smooth sailing."

"Nice one!" Jake hollered.

"Thanks, mateys." Izzy called back. "Now it's your turn."

The smiles on Jake and Cubby's faces disintegrated upon hearing those words. They traced their eyes from the pirate lass to the water, then back to the pirate lass. However, the closing-in footsteps of Captain Hook served as some pretty persuasive motivation. Jake ran and jumped, and just like Izzy, he glided across the swamp. He landed right next to Izzy, his boots came close to touching the water.

"Come on, Cubby!" Izzy shouted encouragement while waving towards herself.

"You can do it! Jump!" Jake seconded, cupping his hands around his mouth.

"Quickly, before Old-Feather-Hat catches you!" Skully tripled.

Cubby swallowed his fears and jumped forward. "CO-CO-NUTS!" He screamed. He clamped his eyelids shut and tried to imagine that he was back on Pirate Island, flying his kite on a breezy (and unbearably hot) day. His grip dwindled on the leaf. He held on for as long as he could until he couldn't hold on anymore. Cubby cried out as he fell, expecting to take a dip in some steaming swamp water. Maybe this was nature's way of getting back at him for all the innocent vegetables he's condemned to death by boiling water, not to mention the skewer and the chopping block. However, his shoes landed on ground. He tumbled into a roll, coming to a stop on his backside.

He opened his eyes to find his friends standing before him with proud smiles on their faces. _I made it. I can't believe I made it._

"That was awesome, Cubby." Jake said while helping him up.

Cubby brushed himself off. "Thanks, Jake. I wasn't scared at all." He lied with a smile. However, in his mind he knew that his mateys saw straight past it.

"Well done, crew. We made it to the other side of Sizzling Swamp without getting sizzled. Where to next?"

Cubby reached back into his pocket and retrieved the map. He unfolded it and examined the instructions. The next spot was further north and portrayed by a trio of curled lines, symbolising wind.

"The next place on my map is this way." Cubby said as they resumed their treasure hunt.

As they left Sizzling Swamp, the Jolly Roger crew came hurdling down the path, their captain tagged on behind. All that running had exhausted Hook, he panted frantically. Now he was both green and blue.

"Look alive, crew! That pipsqueak Cubby's scream came from over here!" Captain Hook sneered.

The Jolly Roger crew gazed upon the swamp before them. They had definitely heard Cubby over here, but that chubby pirate, nor his mateys, were around. The bubbling waters before them stopped them in their tracks.

"Watch out, lads." Sharky warned. "This here swamp looks quite the scorcher."

"And quite the steamer, as well." Bones added.

"Don't just stand there lollygagging, you buffoons!" Hook continued to shout. "Find me a way across!"

They all began to think of all the possible ways in which they could traverse from one side to the other and not end up with a hot foot. A lone leaf parted from its branch and drifted towards the steam whereupon the upward force gave it some extra height.

Mr. Smee snapped his fingers. "That's it! I bet those sea pups used leaves to glide over on the steam."

Captain Hook rolled his eyes. "Bah! Bilge water." He looked around until his eyes caught something. "This is it, boys." He approached the oversized shell. "We can use this shell to sail across."

Mr. Smee spoke with concern. "Uh, Cap'n, sir? Maybe it's not a good…"

"Stop bumbling, Mr. Smee, and heave this into the water!"

Mr. Smee sighed. "Aye aye, Cap'n." _This'll be awfully painful._

Smee, Sharky, and Bones took hold of the shell and heaved it upright into the swamp. As expected, the pod showed buoyance. Steam flowed around the pod, leaving a notable gap. The Captain was the first to board. He unhooked his traditional claw and attached a long, sturdy oar, which he simply pulled from behind his back.

"Climb aboard and set sail." He commanded. The rest of the crew jumped in and pushed off. "We'll catch up with those puny pirates in no time." Proudly, Hook dipped the oar into the water and paddled them across. A smug smile formed across his blue and green tinted face.

Bones began to fan himself. "Dearie me. It's boiling here, it be."

The frying-pan sizzling noise got slightly louder and more personal. A strange but familiar aroma filled the air.

"Does anyone smell that?" Smee asked.

"Aye." Sharky took another sniff. "It smells like…" He sniffed again to dissect and label the specific scent. "Pork chops."

"Oh goody!" Bones shouted in glee, jumping up and down in his space. "I hasn't had pork chops since I was a young lad."

They looked around, but all that stood were the overcooked timbers. There was no kitchen or galley or cafeteria or restaurant nearby, nothing that resembled edibility.

Bones continued. "That's funny…" He spoke unsure. "I don't see anyone cookin' around here."

"…Then where is that scent coming from?" Smee whispered.

They continued to look around frantically. The water continued to ceaselessly boil. Steam rose into the air. The sizzling sound got louder and louder. The crew were getting hotter and hotter. They glanced down. The bottom of the shell had turned red. Smoke rose from the backsides of the Jolly Roger crew, cooking like the fat on bacon.

"Uh, Cap'n?" Smee said. The pain was slowly registering with his pirate brain.

"Not now, Mr. Smee!" Captain Hook bellowed. "Can't you see I'm…?" He stopped. His nostrils flared. "My, that certainly smells delicious. What's cooking?"

Mr. Smee swallowed hard. The burning sensation had now become cold as if he were sitting on an ice cube. "That'll be us…"

Hook stared Smee in the eyes and garbed. "Us?" His eyes directed themselves down towards the interior, and there he saw the fire red bottom of the makeshift boat, complete with streaks of grey smoke.

All the pain had built up to that moment. All four men cried out in agony. They shot out of the pod and flew into the air like fairies except instead of leaving a trail of pixie dust they left a trail of smoke. Thankfully, they landed on the other side – it was a hard landing, but a landing nonetheless. They could hear their roasted rumps cooling down on the ground. The captain was now green, blue, _and_ red.

Something landed on the captain's large nose, obscuring his view. His picked the object off and examined it. It was the leaf that Mr. Smee had seen. Its crispy features had been spared by the ravenous heat.

Hook let the leaf fall from his grasp. "Smee…? This is all your fault..."

Mr. Smee dropped his head and saluted. "Yes, Cap'n…"

* * *

"What is this place, Cubby?" Skully asked.

"Breezy Valley." Cubby looked up from his map and took in his surroundings. This valley was higher up on Never Peak Mountain, way above the canopy of the jungle. From where they stood, they had a wonderful view of the rocky texture of Belch Mountain. There were no physical boundaries separating the sun's gaze from the skin on the youngsters' bones.

The valley before them lay open to the elements. The horizon was shaped like the letter v. The path was shrouded with huge rocks. A path slithered around them. Just like the swamp before them, it was sparse with trees. These palm trees however, while being alive and thriving with vegetation, were all slanted in the same direction.

"Breezy Valley, huh?" Jake said while walking forward.

The leader stepped casually into the open area. Standing alone in the valley made him feel like he was on top of the world, even though he wasn't. Immediately, a breeze bristled past him, gentle and cool. Jake could feel the wind seeping through his hair, around his arms, and through his vest. He opened his mouth wide and breathed deep. The air travelled down his windpipe and into his lungs. The wind's cool nature seemed to pass into his blood, he could feel it coursing through his veins, into his limbs and internal organs. He guessed his immigration to Chi-Chi-Chilly Canyon would have to be postponed indefinitely.

Jake exhaled with deep satisfaction. "This breeze feels great." He continued to step forward, motioning for his crew to follow. "Come on, mateys."

Cubby reached out. A look of concern appeared on his face. "Be careful, Jake." He urged. "It's called Breezy Valley for a reason."

Jake shrugged it off. "Relax, Cubby. It's not that bad."

He walked down the path, going against the drift of air. The path was flat and light, easy to walk on. However, something went wrong in the blink of an eye. A rumbling, like the sound of thunder, spread over Breezy Valley. The trees began to rustle, bouncing up and down as if they were trying to escape from their roots and run away. The gentle breeze swiftly evolved into a full-on gust.

Izzy, Cubby, and Skully grabbed onto the nearby palm trees as the wind threatened to blow them away.

"Jake, look out!" Skully shouted.

Jake shielded his eyes and attempted to soldier forward, but the force opposing him was like walking through stone. His vertical hair turned horizontal along with the tails of his bandanna. His vest was barely holding on around his shoulders. His grip on the ground failed him and he was sent back down the path, rolling backwards down to the ridge.

The spell ended as quickly as it arrived, reverting back to its more welcomed former self. Jake came to a stop before his friends, landing on his front with his face pressed into the dirt.

"Whoa!" Izzy staggered. "Are you okay?"

Jake slammed his palms onto the ground and pushed himself up. There was a noticeable grove in the dirt where his face had made contact. He turned to his mateys, his face caked with dust. It looked like a beauty mask. All that was missing was the cucumber slices.

"I don't suppose that's the reason it's called Breezy Valley…?" Jake said while dusting his face down. He tried to act brave, but everyone could see that he was embarrassed.

"Shiver me timbers." Izzy said. "That's some pretty strong wind."

"Crackers. If we're not careful, that breeze will swish and swoosh us all the way off Never Land!" Skully cried.

"How are we going to get across without getting blown away?" Cubby asked.

Just then, the powerful gale perked up again. Everyone grabbed hold of the trees, Jake included. The gust lasted for the same amount of time, roughly five seconds before perking down.

"I've got it." Jake said. "We can use those giant rocks as cover to get across. We just have to know when we move."

"Sounds like a plan." Izzy agreed. "We'll have to time our movements so we know when to take cover and when to move."

The wind returned and so did the gripping of hands on the tree trunks. Five seconds later, it subsided.

They silently began to count.

_One…Two…Three…Four…Five…Si—_

Gale returned. Hold on tight. Five seconds passed. Back to gentle breeze.

"Go! We got about six seconds to reach the first rock!" Jake called out.

Following Jake's lead, the crew sprinted down the valley. Skully followed close in the air. Their footwear kicked up dust on the path. The first rock stood prominent before them, the first of many. The path was not straight, but twisted. It would appear that many past adventurers and pirates alike had also learned of the valley's tremendous gusts and traversed in the same manner as the kids were doing right there.

In near-perfect unison, the pirate pups were counting down the seconds. _One…Two…Three…Four…_

Milliseconds before the fifth second, they reached the first rock and pressed themselves up against its rough, grey skin. They braced themselves and counted the final seconds. Again, before they could fully reach second number six, the periodic windstorm arrived. The wind flowed into the rocks and trees in its wake. The trees waved but the rocks remained turtled in the ground, and thus the pirates were safe. None of them felt the sensation of rushing air.

After five seconds, the wind died down and the kids moved again. They rushed to the second rock and hid behind it. Again came the wind, the allotted amount of time, then the calm. They ran to the third rock and waited. They repeated this pattern of playing hide-and-seek with the element until they came to the other end of the valley, back into the company of the jungle canopy. The wind howled again, but its power rushed high above their heads.

"Yay hey, we made it passed Breezy Valley." Izzy said triumphantly.

"And according to my map," Cubby pulled out the paper and traced his finger on the dotted line. "The treasure is dead ahead."

"Then let's get going, crew, before Captain Hook catches up." Jake said.

The crew disappeared into the jungle. The buried treasure was close, buried at the top of one of the mountains peaks.

As those pirates disappeared, another set of pirates appeared at the valley's threshold. Captain Hook and his henchmen stumbled with awkward gaits into the valley. The sensation in their rumps had simmered down to a numbing pain. Standing and sitting was going to be a chore for the next few days.

"Hurry up, men!" Captain Hook continued with his lousy attitude. "They went this way!"

The crew charged through Breezy Valley, passing by the first large rock they saw. It was between the first and second rock when the wind took an unexpected turn. A gust as strong as a tidal wave rammed into the men.

Mr. Smee clutched to his red cap. "Cap'n, this wind be too strong!" He pointed to the rock behind them. "Maybe we should get to cover?"

"Nonesense, Mr. Smee! This pathetic breeze will not stop the famous Captain-!" Before Hook could finish his name, the wind kicked the crew high into the air. The ground shrank rapidly. "SMEEEEEEEEEE!" He screamed as they were tossed back into the jungle.

* * *

The young pirates were running uphill as fast as they could. The muscles in their legs ached as they fought against the gradient. The treasure was close, buried at the peak of one of the mountains points. There, they would find a flat piece of earth that was big and deep enough to bury a full-sized wooden box. To their left was a view that stretched to the ocean's horizon – a view that they took for granted these days.

They reached the area, the peak was just around the cliff corner. They turned the corner and then… stopped. That's when they saw it. The flat area of land. The treasure chest was right there, plain as day, clear as crystal. The lid was open. The insides sparkled and glistened with golden necklaces, diamond rings, ruby-crammed tiaras, and emerald amulets. And there was Trig, Flint and Animal sinking their fingers through the assortment of valuables. Gloom sat beside the chest, his dedication to mythical textures went so far as to numb him from the joys of acquiring riches. Captain Cronus sat in the exact same deck chair while writing with the exact same quill and notebook, with the exact same crate by his side with the exact same cup and book and inkwell from Pirate's Plunge.

Like a professor noticing a student, Cronus glanced up from the notebook. "Hello again, children. I see that you've only just arrived. We got here ten minutes ago."

The kids couldn't help but gasp. They had been beaten. "Captain Cronus?" The pirates said together.

"But you weren't taking part in the treasure hunt. You didn't even have a map." Jake said. "How did you find it?"

Cronus placed the quill in the inkwell, grabbed the cup, and drank some fresh orange juice. Funnily enough, the citrus drink may be doing more harm to him than the beer was. The captain didn't mind it much, he didn't plan on keeping his teeth for all eternity.

"Simple. My first mate here has quite the brain." Cronus motioned towards the scruffy man. Trig waved before tending back to the treasure. "He was able to memorise your map when you showed it to him back at Pirate's Plunge. If your map been inaccurate, we would have been quite stumped."

"But how'd you get here before us?" Cubby looked at his map again. "My map says this route was the quickest."

"Correction: your map says your route was the safest. My humble crew and I located a series of hazardous shortcuts that only we, and our array of skills, could overcome." Cronus replied. "I understand that you have travelled far to get here, but the gold is mine, and if you think that you can just take it…"

Jake interrupted him. "Actually, we're not going to take anything." He gave a few claps. "Congratulations, Captain Cronus."

Cronus was prepared to belt out the rest of his threat – the same line which he had told to many pirates in the past – when the boy's words stopped him cold. _They steal and take what they want. They simply cannot be bargained or reasoned with. _Hook's accusations were like glass and they were already see-through enough as they were.

"I… very well, then. Thank you, Jake." Cronus tipped his head.

"Aw, coconuts." Cubby slumped. "Does this mean there's no treasure for us?"

"I'm afraid so, mateys." Jake answered, his upbeat attitude had taken a nosedive. "They reached the treasure first. It belongs to them, fair and square."

"But… we worked so hard to get here." Izzy said. "We got past Sizzling Swamp and Breezy Valley. Now everything we've done has been for nothing?"

Jake sighed. "I'm sorry, crew. But today has not been our day."

None of them wanted to accept it, but they were ending this treasure hunt on a low note. The crew felt demoralised, heartbroken, all their work, the smart ideas, the solutions to problems – all of it was a waste of time. They were going home empty handed. They haven't felt this bad since the time Captain Hook took their ship, Bucky, away.

Jake struggled to smile. "Hey, let's look on the bright side. Captain Cronus and his crew are new here to Never Land. Maybe a little welcoming treasure will make them feel… welcome. There's enough to go around."

"Yeah, but still… that was no fun…" Skully sulked.

Izzy looked up at the sky. Daylight was starting to dwindle on them. "And the sun will be setting soon, so no time for swimming either." She sighed. "What a downer to our day."

"We can't have good days, every day." Jake said. "Tomorrow will be better, just you wait."

The sounds of huffing and panting rose from behind them. The kids turned around and saw the Jolly Roger crew dragging their sorry selves towards them, their captain easily the worst looking. They stopped before the pirate pups.

Captain Hook groaned with pain. He braced himself on his knees and panted to regain his stamina. "Alright… you scurvy swabs…" Hook stopped to inhale deep. He straightened himself out, regaining his posture. "I know you have the treasure. Now hand it over. I'm in no mood for games."

"Uh, Captain Hook?" Jake rubbed the back of his neck. "The treasure isn't ours this time…"

"What are you babbling about?" Hook impatiently pushed past him, causing Jake to fall down. "You lot have reached this place before me. So it's only logical that…" Then he saw the chest, and the men who surrounded it. "Cronus?!"

"Goodness, Captain Hook. You look horrible." Cronus stated. "I'm glad to see that you made it, but at what cost?"

"What in plunder?" Hook bellowed. "You reached the treasure first? You?"

"It would seem so, my friend. The valuables are mine and you are not taking them. I think our business here is done."

Hook growled, driblets of saliva spat from his mouth. "I knew you lot would be trouble when you arrived." The green in his face enriched. "Now you two are going to take all the treasure and…" Suddenly, he stomach growled. His hangover had made him skip his breakfast and lunch for today. He clutched his gut, his knees threatening to collapse on him

"There, there, Cap'n." Mr. Smee slung Hook's arm over his shoulder. "We should get you back to the Jolly Roger. I'll fix you up a nice, warm batch of soup."

Captain Hook was about to protest when the nauseating feeling in his gut convinced him otherwise – which was not an easy thing to do. "Alright, fie!" Hook spat. "Men, back to the Jolly Roger." _I can't wait for those fools to leave._

"Come on, crew. Let's head back to Bucky." Jake said.

Both crews turned on their heels to start the slow crawl back to their homes. Suddenly, Cronus spoke, getting everyone's attention.

"Before you go let me just say that ever since we landed here out time has been most pleasant. Food to eat. Water to drink. Places to explore. People to see." Captain Cronus stood up and grabbed a handful of gold from the chest. "And wealth to collect." He dropped the gold back into the chest, metal clicked with metal. "In fact, our time here has been so splendid that I have an announcement to make."

The rest of the Grey Raven crew stood to attention. Their eyes locked onto their captain and ears perked up.

Cronus continued. "Men, I hope you all packed your bags from that last island we stayed on…"

"You mean-?" Flint interjected with a sudden glimmer of surprise. It even surprised himself.

Cronus wasn't in the mood to be serious. He chuckled, indulging in his crewmate's disbelief. "That's right, Flint." He raised his arms into the air. "Because Never Land is our new home, and we are never leaving!"

"Never?" Everyone, apart from Cronus, said in synchronisation.

"Never!" Cronus repeated, hammer the final nail in the invisible coffin.

The Grey Raven crew erupted into a fit of cheer. There were only five of them – well, four because one of them didn't speak – but they roared with the strength of lions. Animal leapt into Trig's arms. Trig laughed and held the thin man high in his burly grasp.

"Did you hear that, guys?" Animal said to Hook and Jake. "We're the new neighbours."

"And we're going to be seeing a lot of each other for a long, long time." Flint added.

"Blasted Barnacles!" Hook screamed at the top of his lungs, stamping his feet in rage. "I will never-!" The growling in his belly returned. The rest of his words came out as an uncanny groan.

"Calm down, Sir." Mr. Smee comforted.

Jake and the Never Land Pirates, and the Jolly Roger crew walked back down the slope. Both of them going home as losers, as opposed to only one. The kids walked with their heads low. The cheering went on behind them, it was the complete opposite emotion to what they were feeling.

"Oh, Jake…" Izzy said. "What are we going to do now?"

"I don't know, Iz. All I know is that if they're that good, then we're going have to get used to seeing a lot less treasure from now on." Jake answered.

Hook turned to the pirate pups and muttered. "…Welcome to my world…"

* * *

Alone again, Cronus looked out towards the horizon. His crew continued to holler and cheer in the background, but he didn't mind – let them celebrate. He took another swig of orange juice. Today had been a good day, not just for him, but for the entire crew. It would be the first of many. The chest of gold made him feel more fulfilled, even if it was only slightly. Out there, buried and hidden in the seams of the island, there lay more valuables ripe for the picking, and he was determined to own every single one.

Skull Rock floated in his sight. There were several possibilities that crossed the captain's mind when he thought about Skull Rock. Either; one, it was an actual rock that just so happened to resemble a skull through incredibly lucky weathering; two, the rock had been carved into resembling a skull, either by hand or by magic; or three, that is an real skull that belonged to a creature that used to prowl the Never Seas. The last hypothesis filled the captain will a small hint of uneasiness.

He stretched out with his free hand and cupped his palm below the rock's upper teeth. Looking through his eyes, it looked like he was holding a skull in his hand.

"Alas, poor Yorick. I knew him, Horatio."


	6. Chapter 5: An uncertain future

**Chapter 5**

**An uncertain future**

The Buccaneer straddled low and fast on the waves, except they weren't those of water, but of sand. The desert stretched as far as the eye could see with the horizon a jagged line of red, sun-faded mountains. Never Land was a small island when placed in comparison with other lands in the world, but the shifting sands seemed to exist in their own warped reality. It was like metres became miles and whatever weather, even rain or snow, that gripped the lands did not apply here.

Bucky rode upon a set of wooden wheels that allowed him to carve through the sand with the same ease as the oceans. In his repertoire, Bucky also came complete with a submarine, a hot-air balloon, and even a digger form. He was less like a pirate ship and more like an amphibious-all-terrain-ground-to-air vehicle.

Jake stood at the wheel, his hands firmly gripped on the handles. He constantly fought to keep the ship on course as sand was a whole different story than water. The wind hit him, heavy and arid. Every thump through the dunes sent shockwaves through the ship's foundations. Izzy and Cubby both held on tightly to the balustrade while Skully stood perched on the wooden railing, allowing the wind to comb through his feathers.

It had been four days since Jake and his crew had laid eyes upon the newest additions to the population of Never Land, and ever since, their days had been filled with treasure hunting, problem solving, discovery – and disappointment. Every day it was the same story: they would find the directions to a valuable piece of treasure, follow the trail leading to said treasure, and reach it only to find that certain six-and-a-half-foot tall captain and his sundry band of men had beaten them to the punch. Jake tried to keep spirits high among his friends, but there were only so many times you can say 'they're new here' before it gets old.

Jake remembered the words Captain Hook spoke on that unfaithful day: "Welcome to my world." Maybe, for the first time in his life, that sneaky snook was right. Maybe Jake and the Never Land Pirates had had their day, and now it was their turn to be the losers. The young leader didn't like the thought of that, not one bit. He suddenly felt an emotion that he had never felt before: jealousy. Jake tried to rid himself of such feelings. He kept trying to tell himself that they earned all the treasure they found, but the feelings continued to pester him from the back of his mind.

Perhaps here, as they rode towards their destination, they could catch a break. That morning, a message washed up on their doorstep, concealed on the inside of a glass bottle.

_To Jake and his crew,_

_I'm in need of some urgent assistant to find something of great importance. Make haste for the Pirate Pyramid. I will explain everything there._

_Sincerely,_

_Captain Flynn_

The letter had been delivered to them secretly, so only they knew about it. Plus, Captain Hook, who had long ago recovered from his hangover, was busy sprucing himself up for Red Jessica's Pirate Ball that she was holding on Crimson Island tomorrow evening.

"Jake, how much further until we reach the pyramid?" Cubby asked, his grip relentless on the balustrade.

"We're almost there, it's just over these next few mounds." Jake answered.

Cubby increased his hold as they cleared another hurdle. They cleared a big wave when the pyramid came into view. It stuck out like a giant splinter, a nail, an arrowhead among the orange sands. Jake steered the ship straight towards it and came to a stop before the ramp leading to a solid, stone front door.

Jake and his crew disembarked Bucky and proceeded up the gentle gradient. They came to a stop before the entrance, which stood tall and rectangular. There was a small, triangular hole carved in the centre. This little feature allowed the home-owner – in this case, Captain Flynn – to gaze out from the confinements of their home and see who was visiting. A lever stood poised just beside the entrance.

Skully perched himself on the lever and pushed it down in the same manner in which he would summon the team treasure chest. A bell sounded from within the pyramid, clanging through the interior. A few seconds later, the peephole opened and a green eye gazed out. The peeper locked on them.

"Ah, you got me message." The voice on the other side said in a gruff tone. The door slid open. Despite being large and made of stone, the door opened with a smooth grace. Captain Flynn stood before them with a warm smile on his face. His blonde moustache and soul patch framed his immaculate teeth. "Ahoy, mateys, glad you could make it."

"Ahoy, Captain Flynn." Jake said. "We got here as fast as we could."

"And you've arrived in good time." Flynn said. "I trust everything was fine getting here?"

"We're shipshape. Thanks for asking."

"That's good to hear. Please, come in."

The pirates entered the Pirate Pyramid. One would think that the walls would be dark and bare, when in fact, the halls were beautifully crafted. A series of openings in the ceiling allowed natural sunlight to seep in, bathing the architecture in a golden radiance. They followed Flynn down the hall towards his study area. The kids fondly remembered the day in which they aided the captain in his search for this place.

"Can I offer you a snack or a drink before we talk? We've got a lot to discuss and I'd hate for you to be working on an empty stomach." Flynn offered.

"No thanks, we've just had breakfast." Cubby answered. The taste of his coconut oatmeal still lingered on his tongue.

"How have things been anyway?" Captain Flynn said as they turned a corner. "Got any daring tales to tell?"

"Sadly, no." Izzy said with a low tone as she plucked through the memories of the past few days. "Recently, we've had no luck on our treasure hunts. What with the new arrivals…"

"New arrivals?" Flynn said. "You must be referring to Captain Cronus and his band of merry men."

"You've met him?"

"Aye, met him a couple of days back, I did. He and his crew may be an odd lot, but their canny in my book. They already be making quite the reputation in Never Land, and only in a few short days. Now that be an impressive achievement if you ask me."

"Well, I still don't trust them." Cubby admitted as he folded his arms and directed his eyes down. He shuddered as he thought of them, and their captain's cold, cold eyes. "They give me the creeps."

They entered the study, which was easily the cosiest area in the pyramid. A fancy desk stood before a large map illustrated on the bare wall. Light rained down, forming yellow circles in the stone floor. The corners were littered with boxes, crates, and trunks – all of them empty – that the previous owner had left a long time ago. Flynn's trusty companion, Camille the camel, stood beside the desk. Her eyes perked up upon seeing the pirate kids, especially Cubby.

"Look, Camille." Flynn said while patting her head. "Jake and his mateys have arrived. Feel free to say: ahoy."

The children greeted the camel. Camille walked over and hunched down to meet Cubby.

Cubby patted her head. "Nice to see you again, Camille."

With a groan, Camille threw her head forward, delivering a gentle head-butt to the map reader. Cubby fell back, landing on his rump. He giggled – Camille was only playing.

Captain Flynn hunched over his desk and stared down at the sheet before him. "To the matter at hand, lads and lasses. I've gathered you here because you are the only mateys I can trust with something so important."

"What is it, Captain Flynn?" Cubby asked while getting up.

They walked across the table, where their attention was drawn to what the captain was looking at. It was a map. Skully landed beside it so he could get a good look. The map covered the entire area of the desert and pointed out a mountain with a black rectangle at its foot.

"I stumbled across this here map that leads to an incredibly valuable treasure buried underneath a crumbling, desert mountain." Flynn pointed at another icon that lay in the corner of the map. It was shaped long and thin like a staff and decorated with an assortment of cryptic carvings and strings of beads. It was void of any valued metals or gems.

Skully gazed at the picture. "That's supposed to be valuable? It looks like a wooden stick to me."

The children all seconded that notion, even if they didn't say it outright. They began to wonder whether things had become so bleak that they were now searching for sticks and stones and calling them their treasure.

"Oh, it's not just any wooden stick, my feathered friend," Captain Flynn smiled. "They call it the Staff of Prospection. Its value is said to be worth more than all the gold and all the diamonds and rubies and emeralds in all of Never Land."

"What do you mean?" Cubby asked.

"It is believed that this staff has the power to see…" Flynn paused to allow his next words to sink in. "The future."

"The future?" The pirate crew said in unison, flabbergasted.

Just then, the light in the study dimmed as if some evil presence were preparing to materialise before them and deliver a wicked speech filled with riddles and ending on a sour laugh, when in actuality, a lone cloud had drifted past the sun and interfered with the designated route of the rays. A cloud offering temporary shelter from the unforgiving desert sun was a once in a lifetime occurrence, but none of them paid much attention to it.

"Yay hey, no way." Izzy chocked.

"Yay hey, yes way. It is said to have been constructed many a hundred years ago and has been passed down from hand to hand for many generations." Flynn explained. "This staff can tell the future from as far as a hundred years to as soon as five seconds. It talks only when it wants and where it wants, and nothing can be done to control it."

"That sounds a little awkward…" Jake whispered, unsure as to whether this treasure was worth it, doubly unsure as to whether Ezekiel Cronus was already in the process of locating it. "But awesome." He switched to his hopeful side, think maybe they will have luck this time. "If you're looking to find it, we'll gladly help."

"Count us in." Said Skully.

Izzy added. "Sure thing."

The rogue cloud have left like a mischievous rascal looking for another prank to pull before bed time. The ample light returned to the study, and with it, the golden sheen. The room brightened along with their hopes.

"I'm thrilled to hear that, lads and lasses. I wouldn't trust anyone else with this." Flynn turned to Cubby. "Master Cubby." He said as he slid the map towards him. "You're a great map reader and have aided me in the past. Will you help me now?"

Cubby smiled. "Of course, Captain Flynn." He took the map and examined it. "It's not very far from here." He placed a finger on the map where the pyramid was located. "All we have to do is travel east," He ran his digit to the right, coming to a stop by the mountain with the door at its foot. "Until we reach this mountain, and there we'll find a tomb where the staff is held. It shouldn't take us long to get there."

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Flynn said enthusiastically.

"Yo ho, let's go get that staff!" Jake said as he stepped around the table and ran back the way they came.

Together, they all exited the Pirate Pyramid and boarded Bucky. Jake once again took the wheel while Izzy and Cubby manned the sails. The Buccaneer sped off, catching good wind. Captain Flynn and Camille stood at the front and watched as the ship rode through the sands.

Thankfully, the route towards the tomb was short and barren. No obstacles of any magical or odd nature stood between them. However, the problem with a simple journey was that there was nothing to remember it by. With a perilous route – ones filled with crushing boulders and filthy swamps – there was something to recall, and a lesson to be learned. Here, there was nothing. It was actually rather boring, and 'boredom' was a word that didn't exist in the Jake and the Never Land Pirates' dictionary.

"So…" Jake dared to break the silence. "How did the Staff of Prospection end up in this tomb anyway?"

"According to the old legend," Flynn answered. "It was placed there by its previous owner a long time ago. He got frustrated with it, so he threw it into the tomb where no one would never find it again."

"That poor guy couldn't get the staff to work?" Izzy asked.

Flynn chuckled before he said. "He couldn't get the blasted thing to shut up." He laughed some more. "I guess that's the beauty of the staff: it's as unpredictable as the shifting sands. Some people went their entire lives without hearing the staff speak, while others got predictions like there be no tomorrow."

"Crackers. I wonder what the staff can predict for us." Skully span in the air. "Maybe it'll read my future, and tell me where I can find crackers!" He hollered as he flew up high, performing a loop-de-loop out of excitement.

Cubby joined in. "Maybe it will show me a neat coconut to go with my collection." He said.

"Don't get too excited, mateys." Izzy said. "Remember, the staff only talks when it wants to."

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean that we can't hope." Skully said with an unflattering spirit. He rubbed his belly and licked his lipless beak. "I can taste the crackers already."

The mountain was in their sights. It rose from the ground like a giant table leg. The obelisk had four sides and a flat top. The faces were oddly smooth, making it stand out from its other, rougher siblings of the desert. The entrance to the tomb was not hard to find, it lay at the foot as clear as day. They pulled up beside the entrance.

"Here we are." Jake announced. "Time to disembark."

Bucky clanged his bell and dropped the walkway. Jake, Izzy and Cubby ran off while Skully flew down.

Captain Flynn petted Camille. "I'm going down there to help Jake and his crew. You stay here and keep Bucky company."

Camille smiled and grunted. She had gotten that message crystal clear.

Flynn disembarked and together they ran up to the door. The mountain towered high above them like an angry giant gazing down at them with large, angry eyes. The entrance to the tomb was blocked by a door. The surface was embellished with fancy carvings. There were two lines that ran horizontally and vertically, splitting the door into four equal sections. The top left was decorated with interconnecting circles. The top right with meshed triangles. Bottom right, overlapping squares. Bottom left, hexagons. There was no handle to pull it open, or a button or a lever anywhere in the vicinity.

"So, this be the entrance to the tomb, eh?" Flint seemed to talk more to himself than to his company. "I must admit – I'd like a door like this for me pyramid."

"Does this tomb even have a name?" Izzy asked.

Cubby unrolled his map and checked. The tomb was only marked by the image of a black rectangle. He angled the paper side to side to see if there were any hidden text. "Nope. The map doesn't say what it's called."

"Do you think anybody's home?" Skully asked.

Captain Flynn walked up and checked around. Unfortunately, there didn't seem to be a doorbell, so he was forced to do this the old fashioned way. He raised his fist and slammed his knuckles on the rough surface. Each knock grated away at the upper layer of skin.

"Ahoy there!" He shouted, figuring the stone was thick enough that he needed to raise his voice. "Anybody home?" Flynn waited for a minute and then tried again. "Hello?" He said louder and knocked harder. Again, he was met with nothing. "I guess it be vacant."

"Then I guess if nobody's home, then nobody will mind if we head on in." Skully said. "Open it up."

Flynn observed the door from corner to corner. He pushed one of the many triangles that inhibited the front door, only to find it solid. Using both hands, he began to push on every shape, guessing that one of them would be a secret button. He pressed from top-left to bottom-right, and found that all of them were merely for decoration.

"Uh oh…" Cubby fretted. "None of them worked?"

"I'm 'fraid so…" Flynn scratched the back of his neck, sinking his fingers deep into his mullet.

"Okay, crew. Everyone spread out and search for a way to get through this door." Jake ordered. "We didn't come all this way for nothing."

Jake pulled out his sword and tapped the surface. A hollow tap sounded when wood met stone. He scanned the edges for an opening. He jammed the tip into the side and applied force on the handle, attempting to pry the stone open.

Flynn searched the rock wall on the left while Cubby searched the right, hoping that a secret button lay hidden inside a secret compartment somewhere. Skully flew up high, maybe the switch was once a tomb for a great bird pharaoh, and the button lay somewhere on higher ground – the roof perhaps. He searched but found nothing that suggested that birds had set foot or wing anywhere around there.

Izzy stood before the slab, watching Jake try to jimmy it open like it were a crate full of bananas. He pushed so hard on his sword that she feared that it might break. She reminded herself that that was no ordinary wood the sword was carved from, it was from the Forever Tree – it was practically indestructible.

Izzy tried to make sense of the patterns. Circles, triangles, squares and hexagons. They were just shapes, pretty patterns for the sake of being pretty, and that held no cryptic meaning whatsoever. Her thoughts turned to her book on all things Never Land, and wondered whether this door had an entry somewhere in the pages.

After one final push, the door refused to give. Jake unhanded his sword, it reminded lodged in place as if it were floating on pixie dust. He panted hard and wiped sweat off his forehead with the back of his hand.

"I'm exhausted… I just need to rest a little…" Jake said between gasps for breath. He stepped to the side and sat on the sandy ground with his back against the flat rock. "You know, Iz, you can help too… My sword is right there…"

Izzy grinned. _How chivalrous of you, Jake._ She thought sarcastically.

She retreated deeper into her thoughts. She tried to imagine the book in her hands right there at that very moment. She tried to imagine flicking through the pages. She passed the entry on the Pirate Princess. Then her rainbow wand. Then the treasurefalls. Then the… then the… the next page was blank, an anomaly.

Izzy gripped her pink bandanna. _No, Izzy. Think! Remember! You've read every page of that book, you should know it like the back of your hand._

Izzy paced left and right before the door. She racked her brain for answers that she did not have. She shut her eyes tight and visualised the book again. The entries. Pirate Princess. Rainbow wand. Never Peak Mountain. Treasurefalls. Blank page. Here, she sketched the door onto the paper, jotting down the shapes on each quarter. She tried to place words attached to it, only to appear with what she already knew. The door was large, made of stone, and decorated with shapes.

She threw her hands into the air, rolled her eyes and sighed. The Staff of Prospection was close, but they were being foiled by a simple slab.

Frustrated, Izzy leaned against the door, her back pressed against the texture of hexagons.

She continued to ponder. _Let me think. The circles are round. Why there are hexagons is anyone's guess. The door itself is split into four—_

The door opened. With nothing to support herself, Izzy stumbled backwards, unable to keep her footing. A surprised yelp escaped from her throat. She twirled her arms wildly in a desperate bid to stop wobbling. The rectangular light from the entrance shrank in her vision.

Jake appeared at the door, having clambered up on his hands and knees. "Izzy!" He cried while reaching out.

"Yay…hey…" She garbed. Suddenly, her next step failed to make contact with flat ground. She glanced back and saw what lay behind her. The straight path suddenly ended and angled into a steep gradient, a slide. It stretched down by a few metres until complete darkness consumed it. Unable to save herself, she fell back and landed on the slippery surface. "NO WAY!" She screamed as she vanished into the deep blackness.

Jake scrambled to his feet, securing his sword. She rushed down the short hall and came to a stop before at the dip's threshold. "Izzy!" He yelled frantically. His voice echoed of the walls. "Izzy! Are you alright?"

He leaned his ear as far down as he could and listened closely. His eardrum only managed to register the fleeting, dying echoes of Izzy's voice as they lost momentum and bounced off the walls for the very last time.

Just then, Captain Flynn, Cubby, and Skully rushed through the entrance.

"Jake? What happened? We heard the door open and…" Cubby stopped to look around, realising that someone was missing. "Hey, where's Izzy?"

Jake pointed into the abyss. "She fell down there. She might be in trouble, she could even be hurt. We have to go down there and save her."

"Aw, coconuts. Down there?" Cubby gazed down the chute. Swarms of giant, hungry spiders filled his imagination. "That looks dark and scary…"

"There's no other way we're getting down there, so we're doing it."

Flynn said. "Lead the way, you brave buccaneer."

Wasting no time, Jake jumped down the slide first. Flynn followed after who was then followed by Cubby. Skully flew down the length alongside the little map reader.

Complete darkness shrouded everything. Jake was still sliding, but he didn't know where he was sliding to. The steepness seemed to go on forever, like it would take them straight to the planet's core. The bricks were smooth on their backs, at least. The air graduated from arid to humid. Wherever they were going, it was damp. Jake looked down ahead and finally spotted a dot of grey light. The dot got bigger and bigger until he passed through.

The slide continued but the environment had changed. The area was vast and wide. The walls were both a mixture of flat walls and crumbled stone, worn from the centuries. The ceiling was black and riddled with stalactites and fragments of white crystal that twinkled like a starry night. To the left and right were a series of thick vines that had grown on the slanted roof that ran parallel to the slide.

Jake was so drawn by the tomb that he did not pay attention to the end. There was no ramp or a pirate booby-trap filled like deadly spikes or icky-gooey slime, but a drop.

"Oh no!" Jake cried as he tried to stop himself. He clawed the stone with his hands and kicked with his feet, but it was too late. He slipped over the side and screamed as fell face first down the shaded pit. "Whoa!"

Captain Flynn watched as Jake disappeared over the rim. "Quick, Master Cubby! Grab hold of these vines!" He shouted as he reached to the right and clutched to a vine. Cubby did the same, grabbing hold of the plants on the left. They came to a stop before the edge.

Skully hovered above them. "Crackers! That was close."

"Yeah," Cubby said. "But what about them?" He pointed down towards the edge where Jake, and very likely Izzy, had tumbled from.

Jake only fell for the most part of one second before he hit the ground. He didn't know what he had landed on, but it was warm. His left cheek was brushed up against something smooth and soft. A golden hoop, an earring perhaps, was pressed against his temple. His nose picked up a sweet scent of strawberries that reminded him of the shampoo one of his friends used. His chest picked up the thumping of a heartbeat, but it wasn't his own. The object stirred and shifted under his weight as if it were trying to squirm away.

"…Jake…?" A weak voice whispered in his ear.

Jake sprang to life. He lifted his head and stared down at what had cushioned his fall: Izzy. Their faces were a mere inch apart. His green eyes met her brown ones. She forced a brave smile, but something was wrong.

"Izzy, are you okay?" Jake asked.

"…Jake…I…can't…breathe…" Izzy struggled to speak.

Horror gripped the little leader – Izzy was in pain. She wheezed out, barely able to exhale. Her smile quickly vanished and her eyelids clenched shut. Jake's mind raced with many possibilities: she could have landed on a sharp rock or protruding branch, or she might have broken something, or she may have hit her head hard and suffered a concussion. For a rare moment in his life, Jake – who had countless adventures and acts of bravery under his belt – didn't know what to do. He was no doctor. He didn't know emergency first-aid. He didn't even know anyone in Never Land who specialised in medicine.

"Oh no! Are you hurt?" Jake held her by the cheeks. He tried his best to calm her to the best of his abilities. "Open your eyes and look at me. Whatever it is, you'll be fine. I promise."

Izzy forced an eyelid open. "…You're…you're…" She croaked, her voice degrading to a whisper.

Jake shushed her. "Don't talk, Iz." He spoke gently. "Save your strength and stay with me."

Izzy drew a slither of air. "…crushing…me…"

"Crushing you?" Jake glanced down and realised that his entire body was pinning down her slender frame. He gasped and immediately rolled himself off, landing next to her on a bed of seaweed. "I'm so sorry."

Izzy inhaled a massive gulp of air into her liberated lungs, followed by a cough. She drew rapid breaths before retaining normal breathing. "Better late…" She coughed again. "Than never…"

The pirate lad and lass lay on the ground. Both were panting, but for different reasons. They gazed up at the sparkling lights above. It was like they were both back on Pirate Island, watching the beautiful stars dance across the night sky, with the air moist and cool, and the sea lapping against the shore. Everything was quiet, almost peaceful. They felt like they could have fallen asleep right there.

Jake turned to the girl. "So, uh…" He said. "Great job getting the door open. I knew you could do it."

"Thanks, Jake." Izzy said having finally caught her breath. "And thanks for coming after me, even if you did nearly suffocate me to death."

Jake patted her on the shoulder. "Oh, it was nothing." He stopped to giggle under his breathe.

"Mateys?" Captain Flynn appeared from high above along with Cubby and Skully. "Are you okay down there?"

Jake sat up and cupped his hands around his mouth. "We're shipshape, Captain Flynn." He answered. "Come on down."

Slowly but surely, Captain Flynn and Cubby climbed down on the vines until they reached the weedy plateau. The pirate parrot came flying down the drop, fluttering in circles as he descended. They reached the bottom, only to step in a pool of water that was shallow only in Flynn's case.

"Well, we all reached the bottom in one piece." Skully announced. "Way to go."

"That's easy for you to say." Cubby said while trudging out the murky waters. He ringed the water out of his shorts.

Jake got to his feet. "So far, so good, me hearties." He offered Izzy a hand. She took it and allowed him to pull her up. "Let's keep going. The staff can't be too far now."

Up ahead lay a staircase leading up to the remainder of the tomb. The right half had been crushed by a piece of ceiling. A large chuck was a crater with fragments of chiselled rock littered around. They climbed the traversable section out of the pit. When they reached the top, they were greeted to a view of the entire room. Jake found himself holding his breath as he looked around, afraid that he was going to find Captain Cronus and his crew parading around a staff and receiving future predictions that they would find even more treasure in the coming days, and even years. Fortunately for him, the ruins were devoid of any kind of life, except for them. He breathed a sigh of relief.

The hall stretched far and thin. The end was decorated with what looked like an altar and an offering table. A large statue of some olden monster with a bull's head and eight snake-like arms – possibly a god – stood tall and mighty above the altar. Five of its eight arms still remained. The vast ceiling stood supported with two rows of cumbersome pillars that had smooth, cracked stems. Cones of light pierced through the ceiling, casting precarious shadows across the hall. The walls were worn, but their ancient letters and primitive drawings could just barely be made out if one had a magnifying glass that was attached to a telescope.

"Whoa, look at this place…" Jake whispered in awe, afraid that he would anger whatever spirits lingered if he spoke too loud. "I never knew a place like this existed in Never Land."

"Believe me, lad." Said Flynn while feeling proud of himself. "I've seen some pretty fancy ruins in me time, and let me tell you, there be a lot more where these come from."

"Do you know what that is supposed to be?" Jake pointed to the half-bull, half-snake statue at the far end.

"I don't know, I'd wager it's a deity of some sorts. But that's not important right now. Be on the lookout for that staff."

The five pirates traced their eyes from left to right, picking through the rubble and wreckage for anything resembling a stick. Captain Flynn focused on the altar where he sighted something that fitted the description leaning on the grey slab.

Flynn pointed across the hall. "I think I see it, mateys." He announced. "That may be the Staff of Prospection right there, at the far end of this tomb."

His revelation was met with pause, far from the thrilled cheer he was expecting. Their eyes were drawn from to the staff to the path that they needed to traverse in order to obtain it. There may have been a fiery red carpet, but it was impossible to tell beneath the dense coating of dust, the sprinkling of pebbles and the mounds of colourless boulders.

"So…" Izzy hesitated to step forward. "We just… walk up there and take it?"

"What are you afraid of?" Flynn wondered. "That a piece of ceiling will crumble away and flatten us into pirate pancakes?"

"That's not exactly what's bothering us," Jake explained. "Well, it is, partially, but we're more concerned about booby-traps."

Flynn continued. "Relax. Ruins like this here don't bother with traps. Not to mention these have been here for hundreds of years. The odds of something collapsing atop us is pretty slim."

He led the way, and the Never Land pirates reluctantly tagged along behind. They stepped down the hall. Keeping their eyes on the ceiling was impeding because the warzone of a floor was so rigorous to walk on. They stepped around the fallen rocks like they were avoiding landmines.

Halfway down the aisle, Flynn looked back towards the staff. Up close, or at least closer than previously, the stick started to more and more resemble the fortune-telling rod. The length, shape, and colour were an exact match with delicate markings where they should, and strings of multi-coloured beads strung from the tip. The staff seemed to beckon the captain to come hither, gesturing with an invisible index finger.

They were mere feet from the staff.

"See, lads and lasses?" Captain Flynn said reassuringly. "There be nothing to fret-"

A pebble dropped from the ceiling and landed between them. A rumble echoed from above. Another stone landed, followed by a skull-sized crystal that narrowly missed Skully and shattered on the ground.

"Crushing crackers!" Skully squeaked.

Their eyes were drawn up.

Captain Flynn had jinxed them.

Giant tons of rock, pikes of stalactite and piercing crystals rained down on them. There was no time to get out the way.

They say that your life flashes before your eyes before you die, but that wasn't what Izzy saw. She witnessed herself from an out-of-body perspective, she stood staring up with narrow pupils and her jaw on the figurative floor. She watched as the pirate girl, herself, reached into her pouch and threw a healthy dose of pixie dust into the air above their heads.

As the glitter hit the rocks, they came to a halt in mid-air. Looks like limited edition Jake and the Never Land Pirates flavoured pancakes were off the menu.

"Sizzling sands! That was a close shave." Captain Flynn said. "Great job, pirate Izzy."

"Way to go, Iz." Jake said.

"Thanks, guys." Izzy replied. The dust began to fade, and so did its effect on the rocks. "But we should probably move."

Wasting no further time, they ran down the hall, making sure not to trip of any of the lying hazards. It would have been rather anticlimactic to have survived being crushed by falling debris only to trip and fall and then be crushed by the same falling debris. Shortly after escaping the debris' shadow, the dust wore off and the rocks fell the final ten feet before meeting up with the rest of their brethren.

They were against the altar where they could bask in all of its faded glory. Even in oblivion, the deity stood dominant before them. Flynn turned to the stick that lay hunched against the altar. He imagined that this stick should be atop the table's surface and not to the side. It made it feel like they were less finding an incredibly valuable object and more like locating a worthless trinket that nobody wanted. Nevertheless, there it was, and now it was theirs.

Flynn reached out to take it, drawing his hand slowly as if merely touching it would melt his skin off. He touched the wood and felt nothing wondrous or controlling enter his mind. The texture and colour suggested that the staff had been carved from coconut lumber, and that many hands have touched it. The carvings were manmade, cut from knives and chisels and even fingernails. The string of beads were dull, having once glimmered strong and beautiful.

"Alright, so we found the staff of prospection." Jake announced. "Well done, crew."

There was silence as everyone stared at the staff as if it were going to come to life at that very moment. Jake and his pals couldn't help but wonder how it predicted the future. Cubby wished that it would stand up and dance and sing like the Never Bloom. He just hoped he wouldn't have to wait a hundred years to see the staff do that.

"So, is the staff supposed to do anything or…?" Izzy murmured, her words ended as a whisper.

"The staff is unpredictable." Said Captain Flynn. "But I had hoped that maybe after hundreds of years it would want to talk a little bit."

Flynn held the Staff of Prospection in both hands like he was about to whack someone with it. The stick stood silent and dead. Now, even he was having second thoughts about this.

Skully sighed. "Well, that was sure… something, I guess."

"I suppose so." Flynn stared down at the staff. "Still, it's a pretty nice stick though. It would make a great-,"

_For hundreds of years, these walls confined me_

_An unknown future, my power couldn't allow_

_As my reward, I bestow upon thee_

_Three predictions, I will tell thee now_

Everyone jumped back, startled by what they just heard. The staff did not move, glow or fly, but a female voice, calm and wise, echoed in their brains. It didn't speak from the staff itself, but seemed to reach out into their own thoughts and project its dialect into their imagination.

Flynn almost dropped the staff. "Flatten me with a rock and call me a turtle! Did you hear that?"

Jake nodded, his eyes were wide. "Yeah, I did!"

"Me, too!" Izzy said.

"Me, three!" Cubby swung around in every direction. "But where did it come from? There's no one else here."

Skully gestured to the staff. "It's the Staff of Prospection!" He cried. "It's talking!"

Flynn quietened everyone. "Pipe down and let's listen."

Everyone stopped talking and gazed down at the staff, awaiting more words. It continued to speak.

_Men and women roam this land_

_They eat and drink and tire and sleep_

_But one with such greed will force their hand_

_And cast off their disguise: the clothing of sheep_

The voice conjured up images of a young, beautiful, white robed oracle sitting upon her chaise lounge and surrounded by magical waters.

"I don't get it." Skully said. "Is it telling me the future or a riddle?"

Jake rubbed his chin. "It must be telling us a cryptic clue." He said.

"That there's someone greedy in Never Land?" Cubby blurted. "Come on. We all know who that is: Captain Hook."

_Life goes on, that which is true_

_Summer brings sun, and winter brings frost_

_Metal will drop and dust will slew_

_And that which is found will soon become lost_

"Wait, so now she's telling us that we'll lose something?" Jake asked.

"Maybe, but I don't get the third part." Izzy said. "'Metal will drop and dust will slew?'" Her hand clamped over her pouch. "Is she talking about my pixie dust? Am I going to lose it, or end up getting something lost?"

"You're guess is as good as mine."

_Heed, my friends, heed this warning_

_For you will remember it fully this day_

_Something you cherish will soon be in mourning_

_Under plains and mounds and mountains… of grey_

With that final prediction, the staff went silent. Everyone stood there for the longest time, staring down at the staff in Flynn's hands. The staff had reached out into their minds, and transferred to them information of possible future events, but they were too mysterious, clouded and enigmatic.

"Can someone please explain to me what we just heard?" Cubby said, unable to pry his eyes away.

"Which part?" Jake asked. He was just as bewildered and confused as his friend was. "The whole 'staff predicting the future' part or the 'everything will be buried under grey'?"

"Both, actually."

Jake tried to make sense of it all. A greedy person in Never Land? Something will be lost? Mountains of grey? None of it made sense. While it was something, there was nothing in those words that any of them were hoping for. Now, he was wishing, now more than ever, that they had simply found a chest full of gold doubloons. Everything is so much easier when treasure is shiny.

"So that's it?" Skully wondered. "Nothing about crackers or coconuts? What kind of predictions were those?"

A random though got into Jake's head. He never did get the name of Captain Cronus' ship.


	7. Chapter 6: Have a ball

**Chapter 6**

**Have a ball**

Red Jessica stood tall and strong; her hands on her hips. Captain Hook gazed into her eyes. His heart fluttered at the pure sight of her. Her frizzy, red hair and rose-ornamented hat framed her warm smile. Her freckles helped retain an aura of youth. There were so many things that he liked about her he didn't know where they began and where they ended.

Hook bowed courteously, swiping his hat from off his head and crossing it over his shoulder. "Greetings, Red Jessica. My, you look so beautiful tonight."

Behind his back, in his only hand, he held a rose. The petals were more vibrant than any flower he had ever seen. The colour was rich and intense. Never before had Hook laid eyes upon a rose so wild and distinguished. If Red Jessica were a flower, that would be it.

"I found this rose and it instantly reminded me of you." Hook presented the flower before her. Jessica's smiled didn't falter, but then again, it didn't heighten either. Her eyes remained unblinking and unwavering.

"Getting some last-minute practice in, Cap'n?"

Someone spoke, but it wasn't her. Hook's fantasy came crashing down in a thousand tiny pieces. He glanced over his shoulder to find Mr. Smee glancing over his, all while steering the ship.

"Don't interrupt me, Mr. Smee." Captain Hook jolted upright. His arms went limp and dropped to his sides. The rose stem and hat feather angled down, drawn by gravity. "And watch where you're going."

Mr. Smee reverted his eyes back to the wavy road. "I'm awfully sorry, Cap'n."

Captain Hook sighed. His hat found its way back where it belonged. "Oh, I can't be mad this time, I'm in too much of a good mood."

He gazed back at Red Jessica, her portrait remained just like it had been five seconds ago. Hook had been so encapsulated that he failed to remember that it wasn't her hair or hat that framed her face, but the sticky tape that held it in place.

Captain Hook peered over the steering wheel and spotted Crimson Island. How lucky Red Jessica had been to make her home on an island like that. Countless shrubs of roses in every colour of the rainbow and beyond. Crimson Castle stood high in the centre, between a trio of large hills like the diamond on a ring.

The Jolly Roger sailed into the dock. To the captain's great surprise he found every other pirate ship docked and empty: the Golden Ship, The Barracuda, Bucky, The Rose – of course, and other ships that belonged to other people. The Jolly Roger dropped the anchor at an empty spot.

"How is everyone else here before me?" Hook demanded to know.

"Me thinks they got here fashionably early." Sharky said while he and Bones were dropping the walkway.

"Well, I'm going to arrive fashionably on time." Hook said while he stepped off the ship, not even waiting for the ramp to be fully extended. Fortunately for him, he stepped safely onto the dock.

Captain Hook strolled up to the castle, moving faster than his crew. They passed the woods, crossed over the bridge, and took the right path until they reached the doors. A picture of a red rose stood above the arch like a shining beacon of hope for the captain.

Hook brushed down his coat, fixed his hat and straightened his moustache. He wanted to look one-hundred-percent before meeting the girl of his dreams, the only person in Never Land who could put up with a scurvy pirate like himself.

He turned to his crew. "How do I look? Do I look sharp? Is there something on my back?" He showed them the back of his coat. "Is my feather on straight?" He took off his hat and checked.

Mr. Smee stepped forward and took his captain's hat. "Cap'n, sir, you always look sharp." He said while placing the hat back on Hook's bonce and setting it straight. "Don't worry yourself."

"Aye, Cap'n." Bones added, smiling. "You got this, Casanever."

Sharky looked at Bones, quizzically. "Actually, I believe its Casanada." He tried to correct.

"Naw, I'm sure it be Casanever."

"Quit jabbering, you two. Let's just get inside." Hook ordered in a tone softer than his usual self. He straightened himself out and stood toe-to-toe with the entrance. He was about to knock when he stopped himself. "What's a Casanever-nada-whatever any…? Oh, forget it." He knocked on the wood with his hook, completely ignoring the twin, brass doorknockers. The door cracked open and he found himself staring into the face of the woman on the portrait. A white kitten lay snug on her left arm.

"James Hook." Red Jessica greeted with a smile. "You're right on time."

Hook bowed, making full use of all the time spent before the two-dimensional painting. Hundreds of practice runs and countless hours of rehearsal were now being put to the test.

"Greetings, Red Jessica. My, you look so beautiful tonight." Hook had rehearsed those words countless times. His dialect was fine-tuned; he had been restless until he got every single word spoken in the best way. It wasn't about just saying those words, but saying them _right_, _correctly. _The rolling of the 'r' in 'greetings'. The pause after saying 'my'_. _The slight elongation in 'so'_. _Each tiny piece of emphasis placed on each syllable had to be perfect. He presented her the rose, swaying his hand like he did a thousand times over. "I found this rose and it instantly reminded me of you."

Red Jessica took the rose. "Oh, James. You shouldn't have…"

Captain Hook let out a chuckle that was more aimed at himself. He actually shouldn't have: he would have gotten more sleep that way.

Jessica opened the door fully, revealing a short, white-haired woman: First Mate Molly. Nobody was more excited to see her more than Mr. Smee.

"Ahoy, Miss Molly." Mr. Smee, with the biggest smile on his face, greeted her.

Molly shook his hand. "Ahoy to you too," She leaned in closer and widened her grin. "Brave buccaneer."

Ah, yes. The two of them remembered that day all too well. Mr. Smee and First Mate Molly met during the pirate convention under very different terms. Mr. Smee was not Mr. Smee, but rather the mysterious and daring Buck Buccaneer. Neither of them had forgotten that day.

"Please, come in." Red Jessica ushered them inside and shut the door behind them. "You lot been up to anything exciting?"

"Oh, the usual." Captain Hook said. He brought his hands before him like he was holding a picture, viewing an imaginary scene. "Treasure hunts. Wild adventures. Sailing fast and strong on the Never Seas."

"Terrific, terrific. I'll be sure to…" Her words were cut off when another set of tapping, this time from the doorknocker, rattled from beyond the door. "Looks like we got some more company." She waved down the hall. "Just head on down to the ballroom; everyone's waiting."

Captain Hook continued down the hall while Red Jessica went back to tend to the visitor. He could hear the thick timbers churn followed by her memorable voice.

"Ah. Ahoy, Captain Cronus."

Hook froze, his muscles stiffened, his heart threatened to fail on him. He stood his ground, refusing to turn around. He begged, he begged to whatever mystical forces out there that she didn't say what she just said. That the person at the door was not who he thought he heard. Working up the strength he keep the acid inside his belly, he took small steps until he faced the opposite direction. Standing at the entrance were the faces of five particular men who he didn't want to see.

Molly spoke. "And you brought your crew along as well."

"I must apologise, Madam Jessica." Said Cronus while tipping his hat. "My first mate informs me that we are twenty five seconds late."

"Twenty seven." Trig corrected.

"_Twenty seven._" Cronus repeated with extra emphasis. "We were having a conversation with some fascinating mermaids."

Earlier that day, the Grey Raven crew had stumbled across a lagoon and met a couple of those famed ladies of the sea. They had gotten off to a rocky start, considering the tales all tell of mermaids being among the most nefarious creatures to exist; vain, self-centred, manipulating, and eager to drown you at any moment. There had even been rumours that they had teeth sharp enough to tear the flesh from someone's bones in seconds. However, the two mermaids he met – one named Marina and the other named Stormy, who you'd never guess were siblings unless they informed you – were actually pleasant to talk to... at least, from a distance. He didn't trust them enough to risk getting closer. He gained some valuable insight into their home, Neptune City, and all of its wonders. Whether their manners extended to every mermaid remained to be seen, but he doubted it.

"Don't you fret, young man." First Mate Molly found herself, like everyone else, slanting her head back to simply meet his eyes. "You've arrived just in time."

"Cronus?!" Captain Hook stormed over to them like a bull in a china shop. "What are you doing here?" He demanded.

"I invited them, of course." Red Jessica answered while opening the door fully. She turned back to Cronus. "Come on in, lads. Everyone's waiting."

The Grey Raven crew stepped through the threshold. They moved in a tight, arrowhead formation with the captain forming the tip, with Trig and Animal flanking his left, and Flint and Gloom on the right. They shared their bare greetings to the Jolly Roger crew.

"Red Jessica?" Hook whispered while taking Jessica by the arm and leading her towards the corner. "I need to talk to you in private for a minute…"

Jessica looked over her shoulder and called out to the recent arrivals. "Just head on over to the ballroom. Everything's all set there."

When they reached the corner, out of earshot from anyone, Hook took her by the shoulders and stared into her eyes.

"Why did you invite them?" Hook demanded as if he were interrogating a murder suspect.

"They're the newest neighbours in Never Land. I wasn't _not_ going to invite them." She explained while brushing his grip off.

"But I don't like them." The cranky crook complained, sounding like a five year old who can't play fair on the schoolyard. "They're nothing but bad news. I just know it."

"Oh, James, relax a little." Red Jessica comforted him, her enthusiastic outlook unfaltering. "You may have gotten off to a rocky start, but they're nice folks."

Without saying a word, Hook watched as the crew trampled towards the party. He couldn't shake this urge, this feeling, that there lied something dark and sinister in the hearts of those men. They had barely been in Never Land for a week, and already they were familiar with the area and most of the residents. He didn't trust them; they were up to something, but until he could figure out what, he was stumped.

It was her turn to take him by the arm. Jessica led Hook down the hall towards the ballroom. "How's about we get this party started?"

* * *

The Grey Raven crew stepped into the ballroom, trudging with the steps of an army but the presence of five little mice. The ceiling broke away from the restricting nature of many others and was comprised of glass panes, opening the room up to the sky. Three tall, stained glass windows with roses at the top adorned the far wall. In the centre of the dance floor, a rose had been carved in the marble. One got the sneaky suspicion that Red Jessica may have had an affinity for roses, and the colour red – 'may' being the key word here.

Everyone was there already, all the other natives of Never Land, and they stood around and talked, mingled and waited. All eyes were on them as they entered, almost as if the party would not begin without them, which was hardly the case. Captain Cronus scanned the eyes, and the faces attached to them. Over the course of six days, he had met the majority standing there.

Misty the Wonderful Witch. After many encounters with numerous witches on his adventures across the Never Sea, the captain had almost lost what little hope he had of finding a unique witch: someone who didn't want to transform you into a toadstool the second you came within a square mile of her domain. It was like there was a workshop somewhere that manufactured witches, with the same green skin, attire, broomstick, and rotten personality – as well as breath. While it was true that there was once a time when Misty was one of those witches, the fact that he could gaze upon her now and not immediately want to throw up was a breath of fresh air.

Captain Flynn. Yes, even Ezekiel Cronus had heard of him, but yet again, who hasn't? However, he had never managed to figure out why someone would want to travel to the South Pole _twice_. Flynn further capitalised to Cronus about how old he was getting, or at least how he felt he was. Pirates among here, with the exception of Hook, were quite the friendly, jolly bunch. Something he was not accustomed to. Besides, he didn't even know sand pirates existed until he met Flynn.

The Pirate Princess. _Why is royalty only ever associated with those of the X chromosome variety? Did princes and kings cease to exist while I wasn't looking? _Captain Cronus had found himself enthralled by her ship, flabbergasted as to how that hunk of gold even floated, let alone sailed. There was a reason why frigates were constructed from wood and it wasn't because it was cheaper. Several times he had asked for her real name only to receive the same response: Pirate Princess _was _her real name. Cronus found it hard to believe that on the date of her birth the Pirate Queen and Pirate King – if he even was a king for that matter – stared down at their Hazel eyed bundle of joy, in a scene worthy of the nativity, and said amongst themselves: "Darling, she's beautiful. What shall we call her?", "Well, she sure is quite the little princess of the Pirate family.", "What a wonderful name – Pirate Princess."

Jake and the Never Land Pirates. _What's so special about that boy for his name alone to be placed beforehand? I guess the Never Land Pirates just wouldn't be specific enough._ By now, Cronus had heard enough of their tales to fill most of the pages in his book collection. With enough digging through everyone's tales, eventually those would-be pirates always found a way of showing up. Apparently, every individual in these lands have had their lives touched by the self-righteous, holier-than-thou finger that they saw fit to fix every little problem and dilemma that reared its ugly head with, like a game of pirate whack-a-mole.

A young man with blonde hair and pointed ears, someone who the captain had yet to meet. The man wore a sleeveless, striped top and had an anchor tattoo etched on his right bicep. He had this air about him that screamed 'magical'. He'd have to talk to him sometime tonight, get to know him better, get to know his story better, and how those children fit into it.

And finally, Princess Winger. _Even the birds are not exempt from hierarchy. If only all royalty could come from slapping a golden hoop on someone's head and calling it a day. _Even without her crown, it was obvious by her golden-tipped feathers that she had some royal blood pumping through her birdy veins. What is blood if not a collection of trillions of cells? She was talking to that pirate parrot, Skully, before he arrived. She had spoken quite highly of that bird when they met prior to the party. Cronus could see it. The way she looked at him, the way she speaks to him, the way her noble and sophisticated attitude crumbled upon being in his presence. Deep down inside, there was a bond that urged for them to become more than just friends. The captain didn't know whether to feel proud or bad for them. If there was one thing that he had learned about love – the easy way, at someone else's expense – it was that it's not the driving force capable of moving mountains or parting the oceans, but merely a passenger to reality.

Reality ranged from basic needs to rules and regulations made so long ago that they are seen as normal by today's generations, to a point of being traditional. Yes, people and avian alike need food and water, warmth and shelter, but people and avian alike also recognised social distinctions. While Winger's and Skully's feelings for each other may been genuine, he predicted the gaping gorge between their classes would stop their relationship from progressing any further than the friend-zone. If royalty could be measured on a graph then Winger's line, her being of both royal heritage and a princess, would arc quite high while Skully's line, him being not only of common blood but also a pirate, would plummet so far past the x-axis it would be in danger of crashing through the ground and into the planet's core.

In fact, that conjured up another dilemma in his mind: how can someone be both a princess and a pirate? The two professions are incompatible; two fruits from very different trees. It was like there was a divine, all-knowing, all-seeing creator out there who drew the land and painted the sea and really loved princesses for some reason. If royalty didn't stop with pirates then what else existed? Native American princesses? Princesses who excel at archery? Ordinary little girls made into princesses? He didn't want to think about all the possibilities; it made his head hurt.

As quickly as they appeared, the looks vanished and everyone went back to their conversations. The Grey Raven's fifteen seconds of fame were up. The remaining members: Jessica, Molly, and the Jolly Roger crew, all entered.

Captain Cronus turned to face his crew. "All right, men. This is a ball, this is a party, so everyone just relax. We're all here to enjoy ourselves." He pointed to his first mate. "Trig, mingle with the guests, get to know them better." He faced Flint. "Try not to ruffle any feathers, especially with the winged guests." He gestured towards Animal. "No swinging on the chandelier." He finally faced Gloom who was just about to open his tome. "And Gloom, I know you love your reading more than I do, but if you ever get the urge to dance a little, none of us will hold it against you."

With their salutes and sighs, the crew dispersed and threaded themselves among the party goers. Cronus stepped over to the beverage table. The glass punch bowl, with a design inspired by seashells, stood accompanied with a ladle and two dozen miniature chalices. Slices of orange, strawberries and raspberries floated on the red surface. He took one look and it and assumed the sweet concoction was alcohol free, basically sugar water. Cronus couldn't care less as he helped himself, making sure his serving contained more liquid than fruit. The cup felt like a thimble in the hands of the man who was more acquainted with a litre tankard. He had spent so long out on the open sea he had forgotten what being sober felt like, now the opposite extreme was becoming foreign to him.

The Grey Raven captain turned back around, and was surprised to see his crew partaking in conversation, with the exception of Gloom; he just stood and listened. For the first time in years, he felt… welcomed, accepted. Until Captain Hook approached him and drove a finger at his chest.

"Now, you listen here. I'm going to be keeping a close eye on you." Hook said through clenched teeth, hushing his voice so that he didn't have to. "You stay away from Red Jessica."

"I'm not here to steal anyone's lady, Hook." Cronus said. "I've got two failed relationships under my belt, and I'm not in the mood for a third."

Saying that, Cronus stepped past him and swooped into the fray; already he could make out his crews' classy opening liners.

"Let me tell you about this joke I made a few days back." Flint guffawed to Winger and Skully. "It involved this seagull…"

"I am thinking of a number between one and ten," Trig said to Flynn and Misty. "And you'll never guess it."

"Do any of you know what it's like to spend an entire week floating in a barrel out in the open sea, with no food or water?" Animal asked to Jake, Cubby, Izzy, and the Pirate Princess' silence. "I'll take that as a no."

A blue curtain at the far end slid apart, revealing those two swabs of the Jolly Roger: Sharky and Bones. They held their choice of musical instruments and began to play a calming tune that spread throughout the entire room; the ball had officially begun.

"All right, everybody." Red Jessica announced. "How's about we start ourselves with a little pirate activity?" She gestured to the witch. "In which Misty here has kindly donated to us."

Misty the Wonderful Witch pulled a flower-decorated wand from out of her sleeve and waved it into the air. A purple ray shot out from the tip and hit the ceiling. In the blink of an eye, the bare ceiling had be outfitted with the series of hanging objects. It was an obstacle course. The area was made up of a collection of chimes and ropes, all of them placed in specific places. In the centre of it all hung a wooden idol of a little man hanging from the rope above. While it was expertly crafted, its intents and purposes was built specifically for the obstacle course only. It was worthless as actual art.

"The wooden pirate, as all of you can see, is holding on for dear life while scores of crushing rocks barge down in all directions." Red Jessica explained, pointing at the chimes. "Using the ropes, the task – if any of ye choose to accept it – is to save the man while avoiding the bells. This is a true test of pirate speed, smarts, balance and reflexes." She looked around at the many would-be volunteers up to the task. "The first person to acquire the idol gets the honour of the first dance. Who wants to have a go?"

As expected, Sharky and Bones jumped on the opportunity the second it became available. They climbed a ladder up to an elevated platform that stood level with the obstacle course. Everyone stood back to give the duo some room. It wasn't a question of if they were going to fall, but when. The two of them grabbed hold of the first rope together and swung. They reached for the second rope only to fall short and fall. Thankfully for Sharky, Bones broke his fall and possibly some other things.

"Valiant attempt, but no cigar." The red-loving pirate said. "Who's up next to take the challenge?"

Hook turned his gaze from the jumble of bells and ropes and hanging idol above and turned to the captain who he detested with every nerve of his being. Trig scratched his messy beard while he stood beside his captain. Hook watched as the first mate leaned to his superior's ear and whisper something. They were intending to get the idol and in turn get the first dance. Hook could not let that happen at any cost.

He rushed to the ladder, barging past Cubby and Pip while he did so. He scrambled to the platform and seized the first rope that still had some swing in it from the previous attempt.

"Oh, looks like Captain Hook is giving it a go." Red Jessica announced.

"Not only am I doing it," Hook readied himself to jump. "But I'm going to get that idol!"

"Always good to think positive, James!" She cheered.

Captain Hook swung from the platform. He gripped the rope quite well considering he only had one hand. He transitioned from one swing to the next, moving with an elegance only seen in monkeys. He avoided the chimes, timing and predicting his swings in order to achieve the best range and angle.

The idol was getting closer. _I'm doing this! I'm going to do this! That first dance with Red Jessica will be mine!_

He reached the final rope. The idol was a mere swing away. He leaned back and pushed himself forward towards the goal. He reached out to snatch the statue. His hook got closer and closer, ready to seize it. His hook was an inch away went all of a sudden he reached the apex of his swing and twirled back. He lost control on the rope and span wildly, hitting several chimes and filling the ballroom with clanging. He lost his grip and fell, only for his foot to get tangled on the rope. He hung upside-down helplessly.

"Slithering snake water! Are you okay?" Jessica asked.

Hook sighed dejectedly. "I'm fine…" The noose loosened on his ankle; he slipped down by one inch before it gave away. He started falling towards the marble floor. "Save me, Smee!"

Mr. Smee rushed out and caught his captain. "Saving you, Cap'n."

Captain Cronus and Trig approached with the former clapping. "Nice try. Now, it's our turn."

"I don't think so!" The hook-handed man shouted while wringing out of Smee's hold. "I want another go."

"Now, now, don't be hasty." Red Jessica said. "If they don't succeed, you'll get another try."

Hook grumbled. "Yes… _if_…"

Cronus took his position under the statue while Trig ran off, but he didn't go towards the platform. Instead, he ran for the table that housed the buffet. Perhaps he was going for a quick bite before attempting the rigorous course. There were plenty of snacks and such available for a much needed energy boost. However, instead of reaching for the food, Trig reached under the corners and pulled the table across the room. The legs scraped on the stone floor.

Whispers bantered back and forth between the spectators; none of them sure what exactly he had in mind or was hoping to achieve. If he was going to get the idol down, he was a long way off the ladder.

Trig came to a halt slightly off the centre of the rose tiles. He procured himself a spoon and one of the cups and set them on the table, placing the cup down on its side and resting the spoon on top with the handle pointing towards the sky. A catapult worthy of mice. Then came the ammunition; he reached into the olive jar, plucked out one from the top, and dropped it on the bowl head.

Trig leaned before the makeshift catapult and ever so slightly adjusted it to the left. "Are you ready, Captain?"

"Fire away." Ezekiel answered, giving a thumbs up.

The first mate raised his fist and drove it down on the handle. The spoon launched the olive, sending it flying through the chimes; finding a sweet spot between them. The green dot continued past them until hitting the high point of a pillar. It ricocheted off and flew towards the idol. Narrowly grazing a chime, the airborne olive struck the prize, and the little tap was all that was needed. It slipped from its perch and fell towards the waiting captain below. Cronus caught the idol in one hand and the olive in the other.

On cue, the room burst out in applause.

"Not exactly what I had in mind…" Molly said. "But you did get the idol without touching the bells, so I guess you win."

Hook streaked his hands down his face. This could not be for real. A sudden dryness developed in his throat that needed to be quenched. "I'm going for a drink." He whispered and turned for the punch table.

While he walked away, Red Jessica approached Cronus.

"I guess this means you get the honour of first dance." Red Jessica said.

"Well… I guess I do." Captain Cronus scratched his brow; his hat bobbed up and down. "Do I get a partner or…?" His words trailed off, unsure as how to proceed with his line of questioning. "Do I dance with you?"

Red Jessica glanced over his shoulder and saw James Hook easing past the sparse crowds, clearly heading for refreshment. She knew that Hook can be grouchy at times, but something was bothering him more than usual. Her attention turned back to other captain.

"Sure." She replied. "I'd love to see how well you dance."

"In what? The Pirate Waltz? I might be a little rusty…"

Jessica took him by the hand and led him to the centre. "You'll be fine. Just follow my lead."

The giant captain and the red-haired lass stood on the rose. From the edges of the dance floor, everyone stood and watched, except for the cranky captain. Red Jessica leaned close, placing one hand with his, and the other on his shoulder. A small part of the dance returned to Cronus and he instinctively wrapped his arm around her so that his hand was on her back.

Jessica adjusted herself. His grip, his touch, was tight and rough. His body, rigid. "Relax, Captain. Remember the three steps."

Cronus nodded, he had almost forgotten. "Right, the one-two-three step, of course."

For a second there was silence, then the seductive tune of music played. A piano and a cello sang from seemingly out of nowhere. Elegant dance music with a strange pirate hint added for effect.

"Ready?" Red Jessica whispered. Cronus nodded. "Now… one, two, three."

Together, they began to dance. They moved in the circle, taking it three steps at a time. The captain was unsteady, lumbering; his steps were there, his steps were right, but they were too heavy.

"…One…two…three…" Ezekiel mused under his breath with every step. "…one…two…three…"

"You need to be a tad more nimble there, Captain…" His partner whispered.

From the side-lines, and helping himself a fresh cup of punch, Captain Hook couldn't help but realise how quiet and alone he felt at the table. There was no one behind him waiting for their share and no hushed voices rising as high as the transparent ceiling. He turned around.

If Hook had perished and took the one-way express straight into the depths of the underworld, the terrors that would beset him could in no way hurt him more than the scene that he was witnessing at that very moment. Red Jessica, the love of his life was holding hands with the biggest brute he had ever laid eyes on. Speaking of which, it felt like he was going to keel over right there.

"We be coming up to a twist, Captain." Jessica continue to instruct in a volume that only her dancing partner could comprehend.

She eased her hand off his shoulder and prepared for the spot where they briefly parted. She pushed herself off and went for a gentle turn, only for the captain to coil her out and snap her back like she was a whip. The sudden, fast act took the pirate woman completely by surprise. She almost stumbled, but the captain was there to grab her. She gazed at him with surprised eyes, his squinted eyes and cocky grin furthering it so. That twist felt coarse, aggressive, harsh… elegant, gracious, flexible.

Gasps flooded the ballroom. Captain Hook looked as if he was about to have a fit.

"Where did that come from?" Jessica asked surprised.

"I think some of it is coming back to me." Cronus answered.

They span in circles. His large hands fitted around hers like velvet gloves. His steps were soft and fluid. He remembered everything now; it all felt natural to him.

Every single muscle tightened in Hook's body, to a point where he was paralysed. He wanted to do something, anything. He wanted to shout out, rush over there and break it up, switch to his fishing hook and pull them apart. But his solid muscles disobeyed his rioting mind. The cup began to tremble in his hand, the bones felt like breaking.

The dancing duo reached the end of the dance. With one final fluid motion, Cronus dropped his partner before catching her. Red Jessica lay horizontal, but clear from the ground. Her body arched back further than even she thought was possible. He kept a solid grip on her waist. With the final note, he grabbed his hat and held it high, striking a pose.

The room erupted with applause, clapping so loud that it drowned out the sound of metal being crushed. Hook remained petrified in place, but the cup had been crumpled in his grip. Fruity, red juice sloshed onto his sleeve and onto the floor.

Mr. Smee noticed the mess his captain had made. "Are you alright, sir?"

The Jolly Roger Captain coaxed the muscles in his neck to shift his head down. He hadn't noticed the crushed cup or even the wet punch soaking down his forearm. "No, I'm not alright, Mr. Smee." He confessed. "But I'm in need of a towel right about now."

"Relax, Cap'n." Mr. Smee reassured him. "It was just a dance. You know you're the only one she cares about, more than any other."

The dancers stepped off the floor. While they walked off, the others eager to dance started to walk on. The pirate woman still stunned from the sheer, fluid stylishness that she had just fell victim to.

"That was unbelievable." Red Jessica spoke. "Where'd you learn to dance like that?"

"When you've travelled around as far as I have, you pick up a thing or two." Cronus answered.

Captain Hook stepped in-between them, breaking them apart. "Okay, that's enough you two." He graciously took Jessica by the hand, or as gracious as he could be a soaked arm. "I believe it's our turn to dance."

"Of course, James. Anything for you." She allowed herself to be led away, but cringed from his soggy hold. "Pleasure dancing with ye, matey." She gave one final statement to the Grey Raven captain.

Cronus tipped his hat and smiled. "The pleasure was all mine."

Like he said before: he had no interest in the red-haired woman, despite her being a canny lass. After two failed romances he was done with courting. His first relationship with a woman was during his late teens. They had been together for a couple of years before they hit a crossroads as to what kind of future to lead. Cronus wanted to be out on the seas, but she wanted to settle down on land. They tried their best, but couldn't work it out and ended up going their separate ways. The second woman in his life was an exceptionally wild and daring pirate buccaneer. They had been together for only two months before she left him to be in the arms of a rich pirate captain. Ironically, that same captain was the previous owner of the Grey Raven, before Ezekiel Cronus took over. The look on her face when he left her on that desert island was priceless.

* * *

Animal swigged the remaining punch in his cup and dropped it on the table. The cup made several complete revolutions on its circular foot before coming to a stop. He leaned up to First Mate Molly, who was just about to dance with Mr. Smee. "Excuse me…" He whispered. "Where may I find the privy?"

She drew her finger towards the hall. "Bathroom is down the hall, first left, second door on the right."

Animal thanked her then proceeded down the hall which her index had guided. His bare feet treaded down the smooth, marble floor.

Born to a poor family, Animal had never owned a pair of shoes in his life. Growing up, he decided to tough it out and walk without the aid of leather soles. After many sharp stones, sticks and splinters – and one incident involving broken glass – his feet had become so thick that not only did he not need footwear, but he found them debilitating and confining. The sensation of cool stone rolling on his toes was such a liberating feeling. It was a welcome change from wooden decks and parched trails.

He reached where the two corridors crossed and one hallway split into four. To his left he saw the second door ajar. The elegant basin was visible from where he stood.

He looked round in case anyone was watching, then turned right.


	8. Chapter 7: Dab hands

**Chapter 7**

**Dab hands**

The dance floor buzzed with an audience, their dancing slow and controlled, relaxing. Flynn danced with Misty. Pirate Princess danced with Pip. Jake with Izzy. Hook with Red Jessica. Mr. Smee with Molly. Winger and Skully above, fluttering around in circles. The plump kid, Cubby, was left to jig to himself.

Flint stood leaned over the snack table, observing the swaying and holding of hands. He took a long swig from his chalice; his fingers drummed against the outside. His foot tapped uncontrollably. All the signs of boredom – to him anyway. Usually, during celebratory times when large groups of pirates got together, there always came a moment when a ball of lead just had to be let off. He looked over and spotted his crewmate, Gloom, standing by the side with his tome buried under his arm. The fact that he wasn't reading it in his usual self hinted that perhaps watching the rhythmic movements were his way of enjoying some of the finer things in life.

With a full cup of sugar water in hand, Flint approached the robed man and whispered. "How are you finding the party?"

Gloom peered at him with his unchanging, dead eyes. He opened his mouth as if to speak only for an irritated grumble to slither out. An animalistic growl that, even in the briefest of moments, sounded just as crooked and weathered as he looked.

"My thoughts exactly…" Flint replied. He gazed over the rotating pairs and noticed the movements of Captain Hook. His swaying and sliding felt flat and uninspiring. "I think that Hook fella needs a good jolt. How's your aim?"

The faintest of smiles crept onto his lips. The bald man took his book and slipped his crooked fingernail between the pages, opening it up on the right one. He held the book in one hand while he kept the other one down at his side, closed into a fist.

For a rare moment in his life, Gloom spoke, translating the gibberish inked down. "Hunsu…" He mused low, with a gravelly tone, through inactive vocal cords. A tingling sensation grew in the palm of his closed hand. "Thundark…" He released his grip minutely. There, caged by his bony fingers, was a spark of surging electricity.

Flint watched in silence as Gloom waited for an opening, the opportune moment to strike. The moment may come abruptly and when it did he didn't want to be drinking something. For all the eyes and ears present, the two felt invisible, incognito, like ghostly spectres from another age cursed to walk the lands unseen and unheard and watch life begin and unfold and end for all eternity.

Flynn and Misty swayed to the side, as did Jake and Izzy to the other. Hook was all the way at the over end with his back facing them. It was a straight shot with no physical barrier separating him from them.

"Tou." Gloom whispered the final note. At the same time, he fully released his grip. The tiny ball of energy, no bigger than a fly, shot across the floor, travelling with the speed of a bullet and the sound of nothing. Its faint aura and incredible speed made it almost invisible to the naked eye.

The spark bulls eyed its target: Captain Hook's backside.

The captain jumped off his feet, snapping upwards like a piece of elastic. He screamed, startling everyone, most of all his dancing partner. With a distorted string screech, the music and dancing stopped and all eyes were drawn to him.

Red Jessica jumped back, clutching her chest in shock. "James?" She said between gasps. "What's wrong?"

Hook rubbed his rear-end. "Something stung me!" Tear formed in his eyes as he hopped up and down.

Flint and Gloom darted back towards the corridor; the former unable to contain his laughter. He pressed the side of his fist against his arching lips. Sputters and snorts were fighting a downhill battle against his detesting throat. Finally, unable to take anymore, he let everything out. His laughing echoed down the halls.

While painfully embarrassed, the one-handed man should be thankful that the tiny ball of power was all the mage had decided to unleash. Another word would have reduced him into a pile of black ash, a syllable more would have bestowed the same fate onto every single goer in the room, and a single letter after that would have transformed Crimson Castle into Charred Crater.

First Mate Molly and Mr. Smee stepped off the dance floor, the latter's captain jumping and thrashing about, and swung by Captain Cronus who was helping himself to some buffet food, courteously using the tongs to pick a bread roll off the table and onto his plate.

"Excuse me, Captain Cronus," Molly said. "But I must say your crewmate, the thin one, has been away in the bathroom for a long time."

"The thin one? Oh, you mean Animal." Cronus pinched a clump of lettuce. "Don't worry, that's just like him; quick on his feet, fast with his hands, slow at everything else."

* * *

Animal peeked around the next corner and was immediately set upon by two pairs of beady eyes. For a fraction of a second, he thought he had been found out, until he realised that the pupils and irises were of the paint variety. Another portrait of Red Jessica, accompanied by her white kitten, stood behind a trio of pedestals.

He directed his eyes away from theirs and smiled upon seeing what he had been seeking. Upon each pedestal lay treasures of red. The crimson valuables conjured up images in the agile pirate's head as to what other red treasure this woman has in stock. He Imagined all the other red things she must love; beetroot, tomatoes, strawberries, raspberries, cherries, red cabbage, red apples, red lobsters, red wine, red rum, red herrings, red robins, red bulls, red man, red leader – now he was just making up terms.

It started to sound like a children's nursery rhyme:

_There was a red woman, and she walked a red mile._

_She found a red rose upon a red stile._

_She bought a white cat, which caught a red mouse._

_And they all lived together in a little red house._

Animal couldn't get the word 'red' out of his head. Red. Red. Red. Say it a million times: you still get red. A lively colour – used to portray danger, anger, warmth, and even love – red came in many shades: Pink; Umber; Scarlet; Crimson; Ruby; Rose; Auburn; Burgundy; Magenta; Vermillion; Maroon; Cardinal. A wicked blood red ghost must have haunted the foundations of this castle and drove all who fell victim to place one of the three primary colours before their name, dye their hair orange, and grow an affinity for flowers of the rosacea family.

He never thought he would say this, but he couldn't wait to be back aboard the Grey Raven. Its lack of colour – and red – may have been keeping him sane through all these years.

Animal bopped the top of his black-draped head. He needed to focus on the task at hand. He looked past the colour of the treasure and finally saw them for what they were. Three objects lay on the pedestals: a crystal rose, a ruby pearl necklace, and a ruby heart – all of the same colour; at least it was a consistent obsession. This was Red Jessica's art collection.

He sneaked up to the art to get a better look at them. It would be so easy to simply swipe them and take off, but he got his orders directly from his captain: "Look, but don't touch."

He stood there for a moment and allowed himself enough time for his retinas to draw in every detail. The eyes from the painted dimension constantly stared forwards, frozen in time. He couldn't help but think that keeping a self-portrait of oneself was egotistical, but if she had one in her bedroom, well, that would've been the real kicker. Animal couldn't shake the uncomfortable, nagging feeling that he was being watched, like a trillion teeny-tiny eyes peeped at him from the orifices of his surroundings.

Something swayed in his peripheral vision. Animal turned to look and found something lying on the floor, something that he swear he didn't see when he entered. He picked it up. It was a feather, none of which that were common among the seas. For starters, it wasn't white, so the chance that a random seagull had somehow flew through an open window was out; neither was it the colour or size of the two birds currently holding talons in the ballroom.

He drew his eyes to the ceiling. A bird stood perched on the vine of the shiny chandelier. The bird glared at him with narrow, unyielding eyes. It spread its wings and squawked in a manner best served for driving prey from their hidey-holes, but Animal was anything but.

He was familiar with this species: It was a falcon.

All of a sudden, a hoarse laugh reverberated from high above. It sounded foreign, and like it came directly from the back of the throat. He had heard many tones of laughter in his short time from grizzled pirate chuckles to the giggles of fair maidens, but this one was a new chapter. The mysterious tone failed to instil fright into the human monkey the same way it made him want to tap-dance on a billiard table.

Animal followed the sound, which came from somewhere upwards, but away from the mangy falcon. He located a high window and spotted a figure posed in its frame.

Animal didn't think it was possible for a bird to have a beak smaller than this person. It was less 'this woman had a big nose' and more 'this nose had a small woman'. She stared down with eyes that perfectly mirrored that of the avian witness present. Long, straight, black hair – longer and straighter than his – flowed from under her blue, skull and crossbones hat. The colour of her coat offered a much needed break from all the godforsaken red.

The big beaked stranger cast the first stone. "Bonjour, pathetic pirate." She spoke in a thick, French accent. "I hope you're enjoying ze party."

Animal folded his arms. "Why yes, I am enjoying _ze_ party. Thanks for asking." He retorted while staying on the same smug level as this uninvited guest. That wasn't a secret; anyone who enters through the window has either lost their keys, making a dramatic entrance or intent on swiping stuff – or worse. This was doubly true for pirates. "The door is open, you know."

"Monsieur, I am not here to parade in some silly party, although I did see your capitaine dance earlier before. Quite impressive, I must say." Her accent was so dense that one could imagine an accordion playing in the background.

"Is that a hint of jealousy I detect? You wish you were the one to dance with the captain?"

The woman laughed while she threw down a rope and descended with the grace of a feather. She landed with minimalist noise. "Don't be absurd." She said. "You're capitaine is – how you say? – quite the oaf."

"Everyone's entitled to their opinion." Animal joked. "I don't believe you and I have met. Who might you be?"

"Who am I?" She said sarcastically. "Oh, but of course, you and your crew have not had ze pleasure of meeting me." She said while slowly advancing on the art. "I am Beatrice 'Sneaky' Le Beak. Le sneakiest pirate in all of Never Land." She reached the first pedestal holding the glittering rose and stepped past it. One second the rose was there, the next it was gone. "I take what I want," She stepped past the ruby necklace, snatching it as if she had a third hand hidden behind her back. "And what better way to swipe some treasure," She made the ruby heart disappear. "Zan to take it from right under zeir noses when zey least suspect it."

Animal took playful steps side to side. This lady, Sneaky Le Beak, had just demonstrated her quick hands to him. He was almost impressed, had only his individual not had an attitude that suggested that she was full of herself.

Animal applauded her with a slow, pitiful clap. "Bravo, Madam Le Beak, bravo. I bet it took you many long, sleepless nights to think of coming through the window."

"Maybe you haven't noticed," Le Beak gestured to the empty pedestals. "But ze treasure is not zere anymore. Now, I shall be leaving with it."

"Is there any way I can persuade you to change your mind?" Animal asked.

Beatrice stepped forward until he was toe-to-toe with Animal. She stared down at him, her frame being a couple inches greater than his. Animal didn't mind his height, or lack thereof: it came with plenty of perks. Usually, competitor pirates of the taller variety would laugh at his meagre size and thin muscles. In which, he would deliver three accurate blows to three separate weak points before they could stop.

The only thing that scared Animal was that he might poke his eye out on her pointy nose.

Le Beak leaned on his shoulder and bought her heavily pigmented lips close to his ear. "No sooner than you can part the Never Seas, petite man." She made her way back to the rope. "I'd love to stay and chat, but, it's time for me to escar-go. To moi, Fast Claw." She grabbed hold of the rope and placed her foot on the knot at the bottom. "Au revoir." The rope began to roll up, pulled Le Beak back up towards the window. As commanded, her pet falcon, now revealed as Fast Claw, flew to where she would be in a second.

Animal remained riveted to where he stood, making no attempt to chase the thief. His eyes followed her as she ascended like a raven, which was probably what she was in a past life. Dark feathered. Sharp beaked. Scavenger. Attraction to shiny things. It just seemed appropriate.

"Hold on, Le Beak. You're leaving so soon?" He queried.

"Oui, oui, but I might be tempted to stick around a little bit longer if you're willing to beg."

"Sorry, I'm too proud for that," Just then, Animal reached behind his back and presented something. "But I think you've forgotten these."

Beatrice Le Beak scoffed for a moment, until her eyes focused on the crimson objects in his hands: a heart, necklace, and rose. The treasure that she had just stolen. Shocked, her hand went to her back pocket. She rummaged around only to find it empty. Her cocky, conceited attitude disintegrated.

"How did you…?" Le Beak whispered beneath her breath.

Le Beak had just been Le Animaled.

She jumped back down on the rope, this time coming down with no light grace. Her smug attitude had taken a nose dive, pun intended. She approached Animal with quick steps.

"Give me zat back!" Le Beak ordered rather bluntly.

"No sooner than you can part the Never Seas, grand-nosed woman." Animal took the necklace and rose, and placed them behind his back. He kept in his other hand the ruby heart. He held the heavy-looking jewel at the end of his twig for an arm, outstretched as if imploring the sneaky pirate to take it. "Although, if you want it back so badly, all you have to do is reach out and take it."

Sneaky Le Beak, with her nimble fingers and rapid movements, lashed out. The ruby ducked under her hand, lowered on the man's shrill limb.

"Sorry: muscle cramp; happens from time to time." Animal explained with the same smug expression Beatrice had adopted minutes ago. "Would you like to try again?"

The sneaky pirate made another grab for the art, but Animal pulled it behind his back, out of her reach and her sight.

"Gracious me, how windy it is today." Animal said before presenting his other hand to her, complete with the treasure that lay in it. "I did say you could take it, right?"

"Blasted pirate!" Beatrice shrieked. "Stop playing with me!"

Sneaky Le Beak felt the rising pressure of frustration in her brain. She almost didn't realise that he had actually switched treasures; now, the ruby necklace was up for the taking, but only if she could swipe it from this dextrous character.

She continued. "Fast Claw!" She pointed at the precious jewellery. "Fetch!"

With a piercing squawk, Fast Claw launched from his perch and swooped fast and low, headlong towards the necklace. Before the bird could snatch it, Animal tossed it into the air. The necklace went straight over the falcon's head. Animal somersaulted back and landed in a handstand, using only one hand to support him. He held his other hand, still holding the rest of Red Jessica's art collection out beside him. He caught the necklace with his foot, clenching it tightly between his toes.

Acting faster, Fast Claw swooped around and head back. This time, however, he pinched the necklace and gave it to his master.

"Merci, monsieur." Le Beak regained a small part of her composure. "You're not fast enough."

Animal jumped back to his feet and charged at her. Taking the heart and rose in his hands, he tossed them both into the air. Time seemed to slow down as Le Beak gazed up and watched the treasure float and rotate without the aid of pixie dust. Suddenly, Animal leapt over her, taking back the necklace. He landed and caught the heart and rose.

He smirked and asked. "Was that fast enough for ya?"

With a head hot with anger, Le Beak pounced at him, lunging with the ferocity of a beast. Animal ducked back, pressing his art-filled hands on the floor for support. The lady dived over and rolled to a stop behind him.

Unfortunately, when she skidded to a halt, her foot touched the far-left pedestal. It tilted to the right, balanced for a few seconds on its tipping point, then came crashing down. The first pedestal hit the second, which in turn hit the third in a domino effect. Each base slammed into the floor, sending thunderous shockwaves through the eight corners of Crimson Castle. Three crashes of stone meeting stone, like three pops of muskets, almost burst the duelling pirates' eardrums – it was that loud.

Animal and Sneaky Le Beak froze, both of them locked on the capsized platforms and neither of them daring to breath.

"…Whoops…" Le Beak breathed.

The massive sound would have been heard not just from those within, but from anyone who was passing by the isle at that very moment. Everything was silent, not even the buzzing wings of a passing fly could be heard. However, that wasn't a good thing considering there used to be music playing from the ballroom. A patter grew from down the hall and only got louder and louder every second they waited. Footsteps, many of them, fast and frantic, racing towards them.

Animal suddenly realised something: if they spotted him holding Red Jessica's art collection, he'd be the one caught red-handed, literally. In fact, he could see it in Le Beak's eyes, she was preparing herself to be the victim, the Good Samaritan who just happened to come along at the right place and the right time.

Animal acted fast. "Catch!" He quipped while he once again tossed the ruby heart, this time towards her.

Le Beak reacted and caught the ruby before it could smash on the ground. She wasn't thinking: she was acting, hardwired from years and years of stealing and pickpocketing. If she were smarter, she would have allowed the heart to smash into a million fragments, but her stronger side saved it for its value and worth.

Next, Animal tossed the necklace. Le Beak was unable to react considering her hands were full. She could only watch as the necklace landed around her hat and somehow slid down past her head until it rested around her neck. It was a good fit, but the colour was all wrong.

She finally realised what he was doing, too little too late. She opened her mouth to protest. "What in ze…!"

Her words were cut off by the final object: the priceless, crystal rose. He threw it sideways. The rose's length caught the webbings of her lips, causing her to clamp her teeth down. The rest of her words came out as an incoherent garble. The bud stuck out from the side; she looked like she was ready to salsa dance.

The split second the rose landed in her mouth was the moment the doors burst open. Red Jessica, First Mate Molly, Captain Hook, Mr. Smee, Captain Cronus, Jake, Misty, Winger; all of them flooded inside like water bursting through a floodgate.

"What in heaven's name is going on…?" Red Jessica started. She stopped upon recognising the intruder. "Le Beak!"

"You!" Captain Hook yelled, dribbles of saliva spat from his lips.

Animal planted his hand to his chest and faked a gladdened sigh. "Guys! I'm glad you made it." He pointed at the woman. "I caught this lady trying to steal the art collection!"

Sneaky Le Beak stood there, bathed in Red Jessica's art. She wanted to yell out, but the stem in her teeth said otherwise. It wasn't what it looked like; well, it was, but she wasn't the only suspect here. She did the only thing that she could think of at that moment: she ran. She got halfway down the hall before Animal grabbed the rope, yanked it down and whipped it around her ankles, effectively tripping her up.

"No. You. Don't." Animal said while standing over her as if he were a big game hunter.

Cronus and Trig barged up and seized the sneaky woman. They hoisted her to her feet and tore the art away from her, including the rose from her teeth. Growing up, Cronus had encounter many of this type where he lived. Stealing was a profitable business where he came from, but carried a rather big stigma if one were to fail or get caught.

"Oh, phooey!" Beatrice grumbled, watching as her trusted falcon took flight out the window.

"Here's your art collection back." Trig said, handing it to the red-loving lass.

"I thank ye ever so much." She expressed her deepest gratitude. She faced Beatrice. "What do we do with her?"

"Allow me to deal with this." Captain Cronus said. He seized Le Beak by the beak. "Where I come from, they cut the hands off thieves." He leaned in close to her ear. "They'll be calling you 'Stumpy Le Beak' after we're done with you."

He looked deeply into her eyes. She stared back at him and detected a hint of fear in them. It would seem like this lady has led a rather easy life and that nobody has ever threatened her with words like those.

Hook chuckled. "Yes. You… wha – wait." His proud personality turned a full one-hundred-eighty degrees as he fully realised what had been said. "You're not… you're not actually going to do that, are you?"

Cronus faced the audience, puzzlement etched on his face. _Did Captain Hook, the crankiest crook in all of Never Land, just say that? _"Wouldn't any of you do the same if…?" His words trailed off upon seeing the shocked expressions on their faces. Hushed voiced darted between them, taken back by the words that hissed from his mouth.

"You're going to… cut her hands off?" The Pirate Princess cringed. "Please tell me you're joking."

"You can't do that." Izzy said. "That's terrible!"

Captain Flynn pointed a stern finger their way. "You have no right!"

"She may have done some bad things," Pip the Pirate Genie said. "But she doesn't deserve that."

"Twinkling tail feathers!" Winger glanced at Pip. "Nobody deserves that."

"What be wrong with you?" Sharky said. His face bore a look of disgust. "I thought you be friendly pirates…"

Cronus couldn't believe what he was hearing. Pity among pirates? This woman and her falcon and her nose would have willingly stole the red-haired lass' art collection and not feel a pang of guilt, and not only were they showing her mercy, but they were siding with her and making him appear the villain. Were these seriously the famed pirates and princesses Never Land has to offer? Why did Peter Pan and his band of lost boys hate pirates again?

"Captain Cronus, please. Don't be so harsh." Red Jessica said. "I'm sure we can teach her a lesson without resorting to gruesome methods."

"You're absolutely right!" Captain Hook stepped forward, eager to gain points with her. "Allow me to take care of this. Beatrice Le Beak and I have a score to settle."

Cronus scanned the faces again; faces full of joy an hour ago had now lost all respect for them, staring upon them – upon him – like they were strangers. He glanced back at Le Beak, who looked so eager to take Hook's punishment over his.

Cronus unhanded Sneaky Le Beak. "Of course, of course, how foolish of me." He gave her a friendly, and slightly painful, slap on the shoulder. "Please forgive me, madam. I didn't mean to frighten you."

Sneaky Le Beak frowned, shaking from Trig's grasp. "You better be sorry." She spoke bemused, but clearly shaken. "Cut a lady's hands off? How barbaric. I'd never do that if I was in your place."

"A thief and a gentlewoman. Don't make me laugh." The captain sieved through clenched teeth, resisting the urge to place more than just her hands on the chopping block.

The Grey Raven crew let her go, only for her to fall into the custody of Sharky and Bones who escorted her through the corridors and out the premises. Red Jessica told the audience to head on back to the ballroom and continue the party, and apologised for the interruption.

Outside, the sun was setting, turning the sky into a mixture of lemon yellow, mango orange, and pomegranate red. The sea quivered at the sun's mouth like molten gold. Nature's sights itself were more valuable than any treasure carved and crafted by man.

The Jolly Roger crew, along with their prisoner, stepped across the path. The Grey Raven crew followed closely behind.

"So, what are you thinking about doing, Cap'n?" Mr. Smee asked.

"I'm still thinking about that." Hook said. "I've already made her walk the plank once, and I even threatened to abandon her on a desert island, so I'm pretty stumped for ideas."

"Please, don't say 'stump', Cap'n." Bones said. The feeling of a sharp axe slashing down on his wrists made him shiver with dread.

"As fascinating as zis party was," Le Beak began. "I zink it's time for me to fly." Without warning, she reached behind her back and pulled out a propeller. She held it above her head, activated it, and began to fly away. "Au revoir."

"Me whirly hook!" Captain Hook screamed while feebly reached to grab her. "How do you do that?!"

Sneaky Le Beak flew higher and higher into the sky, chortling her throaty laugh. She, accompanied by her loyal bird companion, hovered slowly towards the horizon, making the most creative getaway known to pirates Never Land-wide; they weren't exactly renowned for their creativity, however.

Captain Cronus smiled. "Did you hear that, Gloom?" He whispered. "She wants to fly. Give her a little nudge in the right direction."

With no objections, Gloom opened his tome and read from a line of scripture.

"Unshu galomoss olum windrozt!" The mage belted out each word with strong emphasis.

Without any warning at all, a sudden and unexpected gust of wind ploughed high above. As powerful as it was, none of the inhabitants down below could feel even a trace of a draft, like the wind had been designed specifically to target the fleeing suspects and no other. Sneaky Le Beak and Fast Claw were both caught in the gust and carried off far, far away. They screamed as they were twirled hundreds of feet into the air.

"What in plunder?" Captain Hook cried.

"Thorny roses!" Red Jessica said. "Where did that come from?"

Captain Ezekiel Cronus shrugged. "Must have been a powerful gale just then." They watched as they disappeared into the distance, leaving only a glimmering twinkle to pinpoint their departure. Who knows where she'd end up? Wherever it was, they at least hoped it had an ample supply of food and drinkable water, but nevertheless, they were sure that none of them would be seeing her again anytime soon. "I'm sure she'll be okay."

Captain Hook sighed. So much had gone wrong in one night he had stopped caring. "I suppose you're right… for once." He faced his men, taking back full control of the situation. "Okay, crew." He pointed back towards the castle. "We've still got a party to attend to," He eyed the love of his life. "And I've got a dance to finish with you, my dear."

Red Jessica graciously took Hook's arm, accepting his proposal. Her faith in the cranky captain was rather brave in everyone's eyes, more so with the captain of the Grey Raven. They strolled back towards the red gates of Crimson Castle. However, Cronus and his men remained where they stood.

"Aren't you coming, Captain Cronus?" Red Jessica asked.

"Actually, Madam Jessica, I think my crew and I will be leaving." Captain Cronus said.

"You're leaving already?" Red Jessica sounded disappointed. "But we haven't even gotten to the cutting of the cake yet?"

"That sounds rather tempting, but we have all come over rather drained from today's events, and we would benefit from an early night."

"Okay then. Well, thanks for coming, it's been great seeing you anyway. Have a good night, mateys."

Captain Hook scoffed. "Don't let the sail hit you on the way out." He glanced at Jessica and saw the scolding look on her face. _Heck hath no fury…_ "I mean… Good night…" The two of them strolled towards the entrance. "…You blasted imbecile…" He hissed under his breath.

* * *

The crew reached their ship and boarded. Without even giving an order, the captain's men sprang into action and prepped the Grey Raven to set sail. Animal opened the sails, Gloom tied the ropes, Trig hoisted the anchor, and Flint took the wheel.

The sun had set behind the wall of water. The sky was evolving into dark blue to black. The stars above came out to play. Many times, Cronus has looked up there and pondered on the wonders that awaited them up there. To sail the seas was one thing, but to sail the stars, to drift among them and watch the shimmering lights sparkle and wave was an adventure that only existed in his wildest dreams.

The captain entered his cabin, removing his hat before he stepped through the threshold. The interior was pitch black; the window wasn't going to clean itself. He felt his way inside, located his matches and candles, and proceeded to light them up. He lit two heavily-used globs of wax and placed them at both sides of his desk. The orbs of light were small, but offered enough illumination for his current task.

On his desk lay a piece of paper as big as the table surface itself. In the centre was a sketch of Never Land that Trig had managed to memorise from the little cartographer's map. It may have had a discrepancy or two, but it was still useful. Dotted around the island were all the other places the Grey Raven have located: Pirate Princess Island; Neptune City; Pirate Rock; King Crab Island. Each location in and around Never Land had a name and a list written beside it.

The events of the party remained fresh in all of their minds. When they stood in that room, surrounded by clean faced strangers, they felt like they belonged, like they could be there forever and be accepted forever. If only that were true. It pained him – only a little bit – that that would be the last time they would meet on friendly terms.

Ezekiel Cronus took the quill from the inkwell and jotted down next to Crimson Isle:

_-One (x1) ruby heart_

_-One (x1) ruby pearl necklace_

_-One (x1) crystal rose_


	9. Chapter 8: Rude Awakenings

**Chapter 8**

**Rude Awakenings**

_"Treasure! So much treasure!" Captain Hook bellowed. "And it's mine! All mine!"_

_Gold. More gold than he could ever imagine, ever dream of owning, flooded around him all the way to his waist. This was those puny popinjays' hideout, it had to be. For too long, he could only dream of what wonders and treasure awaited him inside their temple, the place where they scuttled and scurried to hide like the insects they were._

_Every treasure they had ever found, every doubloon they had ever collected, every jewelled necklace and chunk of emerald and dime of diamond were stored so deep that he could swim in them. The walls were endless, dark and void, trailing off farther than the human eye could see. The horizon itself was gold; sharp apexes and jagged nadirs like the desert canyons. There was no ceiling, the black hemisphere curved around like the inside of a bowl, encasing him in a dome, but one he had no problem living in. Even in the remotest of places it was possible to pick up the distinct sound of wind flowing past, like a lone stranger with nothing but the clothes on their back wandering the lands, but here offered no such decibel._

_Disbelieving, he reached down and dipped his hand and his hook into the pools and felt the dense, cold feeling chill up his arms. A sensation that not even his thick sleeves could tend. He lifted a handful, slithers of doubloon sieved through the gaping hole in his left, for obvious reasons. He threw the treasure into the air, it rose before coming down like rain. For a sparse handful it was clumped enough to feel less like drizzle and more like a torrent._

_Impatiently, he tossed off his hat; it glided across the ocean. He waited for it to land, but that time never arrived. His hat flew straight down the expanse, perfectly limbo as if it were flying on its lone feather, neither gaining nor losing altitude._

_"That's okay." He said while it became a crimson dot on the black and gold. "I've got me more than I can count." He pilfered around, sorting through the several dozen gilded crowns, before picking the biggest, shiniest, jewel encrusted one he could locate._

_He sorted through his own slice of heaven to further replace his attire. A golden doubloon robe with rows of encrusted rubies and emeralds and even pearls replaced his now dull and drab coat. It fitted him perfectly, as if the tag on the neck said: 'Property of Captain James Hook'. The weighty-looking piece of clothing was actually light and soft, and wearing it made him feel cosy, snug, and warm. His old coat, just like his discarded hat, floated away across the never-ending fields of fortune, never to be seen again._

_"How can this day get any better?"_

_The question was answered for him when his eyes gazed upon a hook made not from gold, but of diamond. The curve shone purer than even the whitest of jewels. He eagerly detached his original hook and replaced it with the new one, sending the iron claw on its merry way into oblivion._

_His further hunts awarded him with a sceptre, several necklaces, four bracelets, two earrings, a throne to sit on, and more rings than his digits could handle. Altogether, the accumulated treasure on his person was enough to pin down a sea serpent, however, they were weightless, almost like they were extensions of his body and they were enchanted to be worn only by him._

_"I have no idea how this day can even try to get better!"_

_He blinked and noticed that he wasn't the only person in the golden wasteland. Those puny popinjays stood together, watching him, having materialised out of thin air. Captain Hook had waited a long time for this moment; the moment where an opponent achieves total victory – correction: domination – over their adversaries. To truly break and destroy them until they were nothing. He would not feel truly triumphant until he saw them on their knees, with their hands cupped together, shedding tears and pleading with him to not take all of their things._

_Captain Hook laughed louder and longer than he ever had in his entire life. He shouted at the top of his lungs, enacting full, undeniable authority. "Pathetic pirates, you are too late!" He rose from his throne, rising high, high above like the God that he was. "I claim this treasure, your hideout, as property of Captain James Hook!" He studied their faces, their eyes, carefully, waiting for that precious moment when the spirit broke. "What do you have to say about that?"_

_Jake smiled. He stuck his fist out and raised the thumb. "Good for you, Captain Hook." _

_"Way to go!" Izzy clapped._

_"Huzzah for Captain Hook!" Cubby hopped on his toes excitedly with the manner of a giddy child half his age._

_"Congratulations, you sneaky snook!" Skully said._

_The sound of upbeat spirits turned his smirk upside-down. None of this was making any sense. He was in their haven, taking their gold, wearing their silver, and they couldn't be happier. They may not have been the bestest of friends, but he was confident the hideout was the number one spot where they didn't want him to be._

_"You're… happy?" His question was answered with silent nods. "Maybe you don't realise it, but I'm in your hideout, taking your treasure, claiming it as me own. You should be begging right now."_

_"Oh, we'd never do that." Jake held his hips and stood tall, as tall as his stature would allow. This strange air about him made him appear three feet taller. "Not even in your dreams."_

_"My dreams? By thunder?" Hook stepped forward, hunching defiantly. His gold booted foot crunched through the tide like snow. His grip tightened on the sceptre while his crystal hook shook. "Don't try and fool me with your little pirate trick. I know this is your hideout and this is all of your treasure!"_

_Cubby gave him a hand wave. "Believe whatever you want." He spoke with a newfound bravery. "None of it will matter because none of this is real."_

_Izzy chuckled, making a poor performance in hiding it. "Come on, Captain Hook. Do you honestly believe that this is what our hideout looks like?"_

_Her contagious laughter infected her mateys because they started to laugh with her. The kids and their parrot sputtered and chuckled. The gold-decked man couldn't tell whether they were laughing with him or at him._

_"Silence!" Hook swatted his claw at them. If only he had his fly swatter… "I command you to be quiet, infernal pirates!" He got closer and swiped at them, but his limbs did nothing. They seemed to faze through them. "I said: shut up!"_

_All of a sudden, his crown slipped over his head with the fur halo covering his eyes. His world of shiny yellow turned dark. The four distinct giggles turned into five. Someone else had joined them and was laughing in a way that sent a chill down his spine. That distinct laugh was one he could never forget even if he had amnesia._

_He clutched his crown, bringing his claw dangerously close to his eye, and pulled it up. There, flying beside the green bird, was a figure who was equally as green; wearing shoes, tights, hat and tunic of the same colour. He floated horizontally above the kids, lying on an invisible sofa._

_"Hi, Captain Codfish." The new arrival greeted while running his fingers through his head of red hair._

_"Peter Pan!" The captain roared. "You're a part in their little trick? This is all your doing?"_

_"It's no trick, honest." Peter said before snickering. "My trusty crew of pirates would never lie to you."_

_Captain's hook dream was turning into a nightmare. He had everything he wanted. He had a crystal on his wrist, gold draped to his ankles, and wealth that stretched as far as the Never Seas, yet he had nothing. It didn't make sense – it couldn't – to him. His unanimous victory felt empty hollow, something was missing. _

_The edge of his mouth began to twitch. "You miscreants love trying to push my buttons, don't you?"_

_Peter continued. "We're not here to pick on you. In fact, we're pleased that you've found your fortune, even if it is just temporary." He floated upright and landed before the pirates. "And I'm not saying that in a smug way either. I'm being forthcoming with you."_

_"Forthcoming?!" The captain exploded. He lunged forward, pushing his face straight into Pan's; their eyes were an inch apart. "Were you being forthcoming when you did this to me?" He presented his crystal hook right between them._

_All of a sudden, the silence was pierced by a clanging sound. Its metallic nature cut through the silence, ringing as if it were right beside him._

_"Sorry, Hook. Time for you to go." Peter Pan said as he reached up and once again pulled the crown over Hook's eyes, returning him to the world of black._

* * *

He pulled the eye mask away, bringing light and colour back to his picture. He swiped away before him, only to find that blasted boy, his crew of scurvy scallywags, and the fields of treasure had disappeared. He was in a room and lying in a bed. It was his cabin aboard the Jolly Roger. The bell that awakened him refused to cease, vibrating through the walls.

His remaining hand reached instinctively at his side, but only felt the matted texture of quilt on mattress. His eyes traced down and spotted a one-hundred percent cotton bear lying face down on the floor.

"Captain Cuddly Bear!" He cried as he reached over to retrieve it.

Captain Cuddly Bear held an eternal expression of happiness on a healthy covering of brown fur. The teddy bear had been his companion ever since he was pirate baby, and had offered him comfort on many dark, stormy nights. One beady, black eye met its master's thankful gaze; where the other eye should be was replaced with an eye patch, made solely to add some friendly, piraty charm. Not a lot of people would say that losing an eye was charming or cute, but then again, no stuffed toy would say otherwise. A little captain's hat sat lopsided on its overstuffed bonce, between two adorable, round ears. Its grizzly chest donned a white and blue striped shirt. Its most striking feature was the peg leg that was just as synthetic as the rest of it.

He held the bear close to his chest, rocking him in a manner that would never be lost to him. "It's okay. I'm right here." He cooed.

The bell continued to strike. _Priorities, James. _He eased out from the comfort of his warm bed, his bare feet touched the cool, smooth wood, and placed the bear's round head onto the pillow.

"You stay here, Captain Cuddly Bear." He said as he draped the sheet over the tiny body. "I'll be right back."

He treaded straight towards the exit, all while suited in his striped red and yellow pyjamas, and his nightcap. If this were unexpected, he would at least have the sense to dress in his dignified red coat and hat. He burst open the door to the light of new dawn. The sky was painted a dull tint of orange and obscured with purple clouds; the day itself was a late bloomer, apparently. Never Land stood dark on the left, eclipsed like humongous chunks of obsidian. The sun was nowhere to be seen, most likely behind the mountains, playing hide and seek with him. At the same moment he stepped to the deck, his crew crawled from the lower deck, scurrying out like ants.

"What is that infernal racket?" Captain Hook demanded to know. "I'm trying to get me sleep!" When he does not get his eight hours, the hook-handed man gets cranky – a huge change of pace from his regular attitude.

Mr. Smee snapped straight to attention and without so much as a droopy eyelid or a tired yawn, he said. "We hear it too, Cap'n," Sometimes, the captain was jealous of his ability to wake sharp in the early hours. "And I do believe it's coming from over there." He pointed portside.

Captain Hook followed his direction, and instantly felt dumbfounded upon meeting the Grey Raven, docked right beside them. He hadn't even had breakfast yet and already he had to witness that ship's atrocious colour range. How he missed that striking reason settled uneasy on his mind: if he could not notice that then what else has he missed? Was there a pile of gold literally sitting in the centre of the deck and he'd never noticed it for years?

"Good morning, people of the Jolly Roger." Captain Cronus waved from high up on the quarterdeck above the cabin. He and his crew stood at the rail, except Animal who was nowhere to be seen. Their features were glowing, fresh from a good night's sleep and a hearty breakfast. "We seem to have caught you lying in. I apologise."

"What are you doing here?" Hook yelled. "Do you have any idea what time it is?"

"Of course, it's six o'clock." Cronus answered.

"Five past six, actually." Trig corrected.

"_Five past six._" Cronus repeated. "And we're up bright and early as you can see."

"That be easy for you to say," Bones scoffed. "You left the ball before anyone else."

"Didn't get back until after midnight, we did." Sharky added.

Cronus stepped down the stairs, mimicking the same moves Hook had made on the day that they met. "Oh, yes, that reminds me: how was the rest of the ball last night?"

"Why, it went quite good." Mr. Smee began to answer. "They cut the cake, and they had another pirate activity, and…"

The Jolly Roger captain brought his hand up to interrupt the first mate. "Shush, Mr. Smee." He returned his attention to the other captain. "Why are you here?"

"We have important business to discuss." Cronus gestured to his crew. "Men, extend the walkway."

Flint and Gloom handled the lengthy plank of wood and heaved it across the gap, bridging the two worlds together. Their walkway was constructed from the same wood as the rest of the ship, and thus came with the special blend of colour. After the walkway was down, Cronus and his men proceeded to stroll across.

"By thunder! Who gave you permission to waltz on-board me ship without permission?" Hook shrieked.

Cronus said. "You did the exact same thing to me exactly one week again, Hook."

"But I'm not even dressed yet!"

"Had I been wearing my pyjamas when we met, would you not have boarded my ship?"

Captain Hook opened his mouth to retort, only to stop himself. The answer he was about to say may not have held water. "Back to my first question: what exactly are you doing here, Cronus?" Hook asked. "If you're here to gloat about last night, you're wasting your breath."

"I'm not here to bicker with you, my friend. I come to you on peaceful terms." He pointed his finger towards the sky. "Look at my flag if you don't believe me."

James Hook looked up until his gaze reached the top of the main mast. A white flag bristled, catching the upmost winds. None of them had noticed the flag before. He almost couldn't believe it, there was something aboard the Grey Raven that wasn't… grey. There was the missing crewmate, Animal, standing by it. He waved.

Cronus continued. "I woke up this morning thinking: my crew and I have been on Never Land for a week today, and we've collected a vast amount of treasure." His choice of words drove the fellow captain crazy. "But then I thought: what good is having all that treasure, all that wealth, if there's no one to share it with? That's when I thought of you, Captain Hook."

Hook's anger was replaced with confusion. "What are you proposing?"

"Very simply, I believe you and I should form an alliance."

"You wake me up at six in the morning to say that?" Hook scoffed. "Why should I align myself with some no-good swab like you?"

"Think about it, Captain." Cronus beckoned. "I, with my skills and my crew, and you, the legendary Captain Hook, together as one we'd be unbeatable."

The sneaky snook didn't know what to think. If those words were coming out of Jake's mouth, he wouldn't second guess it. In fact, he would play along until the time was right to break away and profit.

Captain Hook folded his arms and shook his head. "I don't believe you."

"Perhaps you need a little evidence…" Cronus pointed towards his crewmates, Trig and Flint. "Go into my cabin and bring out some of the treasure."

The two pirates marched up the ramp, onto the Grey Raven, into the cabin and stumbled out a few seconds later, struggling with the exhibits they were carrying. Trig carried two objects, one in each burly arm: an emerald monkey statue and a crystal claymore sword. Flint dragged a treasure chest behind him, allowing the bottom to scrap on the deck. He puffed and panted with a red face. He brought the chest into view before unlatching the lock and swinging the lid open, revealing the shiny contents.

Cronus gestured towards them. "These treasures are mine, but they can also be yours only if you agree to my partnership."

Hook eyed the treasure. He struggled to remember the last time he owned that much wealth. There were many things he hated, and being strapped for gold was greater than his feelings towards the man standing before him at that moment.

"Very well, then." Hook reluctantly extended his hand. "You've got a deal."

"Not so fast." Cronus suddenly said. "The partnership I am proposing is a two-way street. I am showing you great generosity by presenting our hard-earned treasure to you. Now you must do the same."

James Hook felt his eyelid twitch. "You mean…? You want to see my treasure?"

"Yes." He answered bluntly. His eyes narrowed. "Unless that's going to be a problem?"

Hook reverted his gaze way from his, unsure as how to respond to that question.

"Very well." The Grey Raven captain turned his back. "Maybe I'll try my luck with another group of pirates," He scratched his beard. "Like Jake and his crew."

"Stop! Stop!" The cranky crook shouted. "Now that you mention it, I have me some things in me cabin. Could you give me a few minutes?"

"Go ahead, I'll wait."

Frantically, Hook ran back into his cabin, ushering Mr. Smee to accompany him. They entered the slammed the door behind them.

While they waited, the first slithers of sunlight started to peep from the edges of Never Land, casting long shadows over the waters. The two galleons received the beginning of their days' worth of rays. A lone seagull flew overhead, squawking. It made three complete revolutions around the Grey Raven's main mast before flying off, possibly to find something else to fly around.

Trig and Flint placed the treasure back in the cabin and stepped back to the Jolly Roger, joining the men who were waiting. Bones looked at Gloom. Even after a week, the bald, tattooed man still retained his love over his mystical tome. Bones still remembered the error in trying to take it.

"Ahoy, Gloomy." Bones greeted.

Gloom glared at him with angry, dead eyes and sifted a venomous sneer through his crooked, yellow teeth. The tattoos amplified, shining brighter than before.

"Please, don't call him 'Gloomy'" Trig said.

"Alright, sorry, Gloomy – I mean – Gloom." Bones apologised.

Sharky rubbed the back of his neck. "So… we're going to be joining forces, right?" He asked.

"That's the idea." Flint answered.

"And that means we're also planning on sharing treasure…?"

"Uh-huh."

"Are there any limits to what can be classified as treasure…?"

"You want more of our beer?"

A smirk appeared on the two buccaneers' faces. "That would be mighty gracious of ye." Sharky said.

Flint peeped a single syllable of laughter. "We'll see what we can do."

Captain Hook and Mr. Smee returned from the cabin, the former slipping his arms into the decorous sleeves of his coat. The first mate carried a burlap sack slung over his shoulder and a red hat in his free hand, which was snatched by the captain. They marched out until they stood before the rival captain.

"Mr. Smee," He said, adjusting his hat straight and fixing the feathers. "The sack, if you please."

Following his orders, Smee set the bag down. The contents jingled upon hitting solid decking. He could have been mistaken for someone else had he been wearing a red and white suit and sporting a full, bushy beard.

"Feast your eyes on this, gentlemen." Mr. Smee announced before opening the bag.

There was something for the eyes to see, but not a lot to feast on. Captain Cronus was actually surprised by what he saw. A candlestick; jugs; vases; plates; cups; all made of that one, valuable metal. He guessed that this washed up man still had some competence left after all. The small bundle conjured memories of when the chest in his cabin – currently on the deck – was equally as full of the sack made for holding potatoes. The complete turn in the tables just showed the Grey Raven captain how far he had come in the short span of seven days.

"Interesting contribution." Cronus said, looking at the trinkets at another angle. "If you don't mind me asking, is this all the treasure you have?"

"By thunder, no." Captain James Hook insisted. "This is only a mere taste of what we have plundered." He twirled his moustache with his hook. "We have more in the treasure hold."

Cronus said. "Is that so? Good to know." He turned to Animal, who was still high up above the grey ship, and shouted. "Time to change it."

All eyes were on the skinny man as he grabbed a rope and jumped from the lookout point. As he descended, so did the white flag. The post remained bare until a second flag took its place. The new one was completely different from any flag they had even seen, it wasn't white, for starters. The flag was grey, but of a lighter tone from the timbers that comprised the ship. Stitched in the centre was a black skull that was not of human variety, but that of a raven. This was their Jolly Roger, and how appropriate it was.

Captain Hook remembered something as he stared at the most unique Jolly Roger flag he had ever laid eyes on. It had been such a long time that he had completed forgotten about this age-old pirate trick. When a pirate ship came into contact with another vessel, they would always fly a white flag as a symbol of peace. However, this was merely a ruse, as they would switch flags before they… attacked.

Hook turned back to Cronus, only to find himself staring straight at the pointy end of a cutlass.

Trig procured a lengthy dagger, seemingly out of nowhere, and aimed it squarely at the fellow first mate. Flint unbuckled his flintlocks and aimed each one at the two remaining pirates. The sword in Cronus' hand appeared bigger out of the scabbard than it was inside. The blade was exceptionally shiny and sharp. The Jolly Roger crew stood as still as statues.

"What in plunder?!" Captain Hook almost chocked. "What are you doing?"

"What does it look like?" Flint pulled back on the hammers.

"And now," Captain Cronus said. "We'll be taking your treasure." Just then, Animal landed on-board Hook's ship. "Animal, Gloom, check the treasure room down in the hold, see what they've got."

Captain Hook reached for his sword, only to find once again that he still didn't have one. He wished with every fibre of his soul that this was just another bad dream, that Peter Pan would zoom from the heavens and laugh in his general direction again, ensuring him that he men baring deadly weapons were doing all this as a token of good faith.

Animal and Gloom pulled the grating to the lower level open and stepped down, disappearing from view. Cronus, Trig, and Flint corralled the crew into the corner. Trig hunched down and yanked the bag of gold away from them.

"Sharky, Bones, Smee, do something!" Captain Hook cried.

The musical duo were about to step forward, until the gunman averted their attention back to the barrels pointed at their chests. Trig shortened the space between his the tip of his dagger and the Adam's apple of Mr. Smee's throat, eliminating any thoughts of being a hero.

James Hook grumbled. "You buffoons. What do I pay you for?"

"But… why?" Mr. Smee asked. "Why are you doing this? Why now?"

"Why?" Trig repeated, slinging the burlap over his shoudler. "Because we can, and we're going to."

"When did you plan this?"

"Shortly after arriving, if you must know."

"But didn't you say yesterday that you didn't like them thieves?" Bones asked. A sudden thought crossed his mind. "Wait… we get paid?"

"This isn't plundering," The captain of the grey ship explained. "This is rent collection."

"Rent collection? What are you talking about?" Sharky asked.

Animal and Gloom appeared from the hold, this time carrying a couple of stuffed sacks with them.

"We're in luck." Animal said. "They had a few things in the hold."

"Did you get everything?" Cronus asked, refusing to take his eyes off the hostages.

"Yes, captain." He held up his potato sack, despite the fact that his captain wasn't looking. He shook it up and down, rattling the goodies inside. "We've got everything. We even found some hooks that look valuable, so we swiped them too."

Sharky pulled a sad frown. "Does this mean there'll be no beer for us…?"

"Oh, shut up, Sharky." Hook sieved, his head swimming in fury. "I knew it… I knew you lot were trouble since the minute I met you."

Cronus ignored him. "Load it up in the hold."

"You coward!" Hook stepped forward, angry even in the face of adversity. "You don't have the guts to face me!"

"Now, now, calm down, Cap'n." Mr. Smee went to place a hand on his captain's shoulder, but the man pulled away.

Cronus shot him a stare of anger. "I wouldn't continue this trail of thought if I were you…" He growled.

"I challenge you to a duel!" Hook yelled. "Face me like a man! You and me, right here, right now!"

Flint redirected one of his guns off the musical duo and towards the defiant hostage. His finger applied pressure on the trigger. He should have done this one week ago.

"Flint, stop!" Cronus raised his hand and sighed, expelling some of his rising frustration. "Very well. Someone give the captain here a sword." He spoke as if he were regretting his decision to not let the trigger-happy pirate plant a piece of lead through the captain's heart.

Animal and Gloom walked over the walkway to the other ship and returned empty handed, except for a cutlass tucked under Animal's belt. He approached them and threw the cutlass towards Hook, who caught it with his only hand. The blade appeared a little tattered, the iron guard had lost its sheen, but it was still strong and surprisingly sharp.

Captain Cronus retrieved the second sword from his scabbard belt. He held the off-hand blade in front of him while keeping the main hand above his head.

"That's not sporting, Cronus!" Hook said. "How come you get two and I only get one?"

Cronus dropped his guard and sighed again, facing the sky. "Animal, get this man another sword."

For a second time, the scrawny figure retreated back and returned with another sword. The handle was bound with leather and worn from much use, the blade was at its thickest at the end. It looked like it was more accustomed to cutting through foliage than actual people.

A sly smirk appeared. "Here, catch." Animal said with a chuckle.

He tossed the blade over. Hook reached out with his hook, only to have the handle bounce off and crash to the ground, almost catching him in the chin. It clanged back and forth between blade and handle before coming to a stop.

"What are you waiting for?" Cronus asked, pointing with the left sword. "Pick it up."

Captain Hook traced his gaze from the machete to his claw. There was once a time where he had a hand there. It had been so long he and everyone else had almost forgotten it. It was easy to forget that underneath all that anger, hate, and villainy, he was a damaged man. His hook had become a part of himself, and had become as natural as his own original limb. For a moment, the feeling in his long lost hand returned in the form of a phantom limb. He wiggled his fingers and ran his thumb over his finely trimmed fingernails. If he had one wish, it would be for that ghostly aura to be transformed into reality, just so he could grab the blade that awaited him on the floor.

Hook leaned down and scooped up the sword with his hook. The handle stood slanted to the side, stuck up like a one-sided teeter-totter. He felt unbalanced, and he doubted having his original hand would help matters.

Cronus regained his guard. "Are you ready?"

Hook held his swords out. "I was born re—"

Cronus swiped with the off-hand blade before he could finish. He could have taken off the cranky captain's head off right there had that been his intention. Instead, he aimed his swipe directly towards the sword pathetically caught in his hook. The metals collided with only a tap, but it was all that was needed. The sword dislodged itself and clambered to the ground yet again, where it would most likely stay for the duration of the duel.

"Do you want to pick it up again?" Cronus asked. Hook answered that by kicking it to the side. The machete slid across the deck and knocked against the edge of the rail before falling off the side and plunging into the Never Sea, never to been seen ever again, except by mermaids and passing schools of fish. "Suit yourself." He glanced at where the blade fell. "Waste of a perfectly good sword, that."

Hook stabbed forward with the sword in his good hand. Cronus stepped back, moving out of the blades range. He stabbed nothing, but air.

The two captains stared down each other as if their own vicious looks would tame the other into submission. They circled the deck, rotating the scene from Never Land, to the front, to the Grey Raven, to the cabin, to the crewmates, and repeat. Nothing else mattered – existed, even – at that moment in time: the sounds of overhead seagulls; the lapping of waves against the hull; the scent of salt riding up the nostrils; the encouragement from Hook's mates; all that mattered was the captain that stood before them.

Captain Hook swung vertically from head to toe, but his opponent simply stepped to the right. The six-and-a-half-foot man could have ended the fight right there with a counterattack, but he didn't. James Hook turned and swung again, this time however, after Cronus dodged that move, he followed through with his hook hand. The sharp end came close, but was narrowly avoided.

"Got a few tricks left, I see." Cronus said, his voice as relaxed as a gentle breeze.

"I'm full of surprises." Hook tried to keep his calm, but felt like his rival was playing with him.

"I've heard so many stories about you, Hook." Cronus said as they moved in clockwork once more. "About how you keep trying to steal things from those lost boys."

"What can I say?" Captain hook thrust forward with his sword. His lunge was easily avoided. "It's what I do best."

"What you do best, Sir Captain?" He spat with a growing reign of anger. "A skateboard? A football? A hula-hoop? A boomerang? Food?" He urged the last part out with extra emphasis. "You tried to steal food… from children?"

"I was hungr—"

"No! NO!" The Grey Raven captain exploded with an unfound rage that surprised not only the Jolly Roger crew, but his own. He lashed out at Hook, knocking him of balance. "Beggars and street urchins steal food! Not pirates! Never pirates!"

Cronus lashed out again with the other cutlass. Hook blocked the blow, but was knocked to the side. He could barely regain his composure before a third swipe struck the blade, sending a numbing shockwave through his bones. Each hit was like getting slammed by a cannonball. Cronus drove his foot forward, slamming the sole into Hook's chest.

Hook fell back, landing on the floor. He was not ready to give up, however, as he swung when his opponent got close and quickly jumped to his feet.

"Oh, dear… oh, dear…" Mr. Smee whimpered, biting his nails.

Captain Cronus swung another blow that was blocked before following through with the other sword. The blade nicked Hook on the arm, cutting a fine hole in his fancy coat. He flinched before checking the wound. He dug into the hole and found the white shirt underneath to be untouched. Thankfully, his coat was the only thing that required stitches; he can set either Sharky or Bones away with that once he's done taking out the trash.

The two pirates slashed at each other, all three blades made contact. With a powerful crash, Hook's sword exploded into fragments. He was left standing there, holding the handle with a two inch long jagged piece of metal sticking out. It was now more useful for spreading butter on bread.

Cronus pointed the left sword inches away from Hook's chest. "Yield."

"I'd rather die!" Hook bellowed, striking the blade away with his hook before diving forward with the shiv.

Cronus didn't need to raise his sword, just his knee. The cap ploughed straight into Hook's exposed belly, knocking the wind out of his sails. He stumbled back, trying to maintain his poise while struggling to breath. The pain beat him, forcing him down on one knee. Cronus kicked the knife away from his grasp, rendering him defenceless.

"Cap'n Hook!" Smee screamed.

"Believe me, James Bartholomew Hook, wanting you dead is the last thing I need." Cronus said, leaning over the defeated opponent. "You really are the worst pirate I've ever seen, but I'll tell you what. If you tell me where we can find more treasure, maybe I'll think a little more highly of you."

Hook looked the giant in the eyes. "If I knew where to find treasure, don't you think I'd have it by now?"

"In that case, perhaps I'll ask Red Jessica instead."

"Hold on!" Hook searched his memories. "Jake… Jake and his crew on Pirate Island. They have a chest buried on the beach there. Doubloons, hundreds of them. That's all I know."

"Thank you." He turned to the heavens. "Animal?"

During the fight, no one had realised that the skinny pirate had made his way to the upmost point of the Jolly Roger. Animal dug a sword through the sail and slide down carving through the tough fabric. Upon reaching the bottom of that particular sail, having torn a clean cut from top to bottom, he leapt to an adjacent sail and imparted to that one the same fate as the first.

"What's he doing?" Bones asked.

"Oh my! He's destroying our sails!" Mr. Smee cried. "We'll be stranded out here!"

Animal reached the deck, having made an example to a good percentage of the sails. Looks like Sharky and Bones' sowing job will be cut out for them today, and quite possibly the next few after that.

The Grey Raven crew retreated towards their ship. "We'll be back again next week, by then you better have some more treasure waiting."

Without the threat of imminent death literally staring them in the face, the crew rushed to tend to their fallen captain.

"Golly me!" Bones cried. "Cap'n, are you alright?"

James Hook snapped up, blood boiling through his veins. "Of course I'm not alright! They're stealing me treasure!"

The grey walkway detracted itself back to where it came, separating the portal binding them. Hook rushed over to the side, catching the enemy dropping the sails and lifting the anchor.

"You won't get away with this, Cronus!" Hook screamed, leaning over the balustrade like he was going to throw up over the side.

"I believe I already have." The rival replied.

The Grey Raven started to sail away, leaving the Jolly Roger drifting without a paddle. The captain watched with his spyglass as the crew stood for several moments staring at them before their captain turned his attention to them. Cronus couldn't hear what he was saying, but judging by his aggressive arm flailing it wasn't anything nice.

He pulled away from the glass and called out. "Gloom, come here." As requested, the robed man appeared at his side. "I can't stand the thought of just leaving them stranded there. Give them a little push back to shore, if you'd be so kind."

Gloom dived into the book, found a certain page and read. "Joogoo aquos froman tidas wenqu…" He clawed his hands over the water. An unmoving tidal wave began to form before the ship, staying put like a line of infantry waiting for the order to charge. "…tios poil grickzam watrum…" The wave grew and grew until the peak reached the same height as the hull. "…quishu elsark!"

The wave blasted forward, carrying devastation in its wake. The Jolly Roger was helpless as the tide carried it, and its unfortunate occupants, away towards Never Land. The ship angled dangerously, threatening to capsize. Hopefully, the sand or the palm trees or the pointy rocks might break their crash landing.

"Crew?" The captain shouted. "Set course for Pirate Island."


	10. Chapter 9: New threats

**Chapter 9**

**New threats**

Jake and the Never Land Pirates stood on the beach at Pirate Island. The sky was cloudier than usual, orange horizon clashing with the forevermore blue, or until the day the seas themselves dried up, then it would be orange on orange. The kids had decided to get up early on that morning, a few shells washing up on the beach the previous night before was a tell-tale sign that the shore would be full of them the next morning. They weren't wrong.

They searched the sands, scanning the collections of seashells washed ashore. Another wave lapped, shuffling the shells and carrying others off. Their peepers were also fine-tuned in the search for anything that didn't resemble a crustacean's exoskeleton.

Izzy found a pretty shell with orange, purple, and white stripes in that order. "Yay hey, this one looks good." She reached for it with the hopes of adding it to her collection, only for the elaborate work of nature to sprout legs, pincers and two, googly eyes. The creature looked at her and garbled its nautical language. She withdrew her hand. "Oh, sorry, Mister Hermit Crab, I didn't know you lived in there."

Garbling some more, the crab scuttled down the shore until the tide swept it away. It floated momentarily on the surface before submerging. Izzy gave it a little wave goodbye.

Meanwhile, Jake caught sight of a flat pebble, moulded into the soggy sand. The purple skin shined like a doubloon, urging the young pirate to take it.

"Oh, sweet." Jake remarked as he reached down.

The size cupped perfectly around his thumb and index finger as if it had been sculpted just for him. Whatever mountain or boulder it stemmed from, the rough waters had eaten away all evidence, leaving a smooth, immaculate, untraceable penny of stone.

Jake looked over the sea and waited for the brief moment between waves, when the shore is at its calmest. At that instant, he tossed the pebble out, spinning it low and straight. It hit the surface and skipped. Jake watched as his throw spanned ten dots before coming to a stop and sinking into the blue.

He pumped his fist and cheered. "New record!" Although, he would have been more thrilled had his throw never stopped, and continued forever on the Never Seas.

"Mateys, check it out!" Cubby hollered while sifting through a clump of seaweed. "I think I've found something!"

Sweeping the blades of green away, Cubby found himself baffled by what he discovered: a tiny, wooden box with a circular button on top. The quality was rough and makeshift, carved from the wood of miscellaneous trees – whatever lumber the manufacturer could scrounge up. The surface appeared old and worn from more than just sea salt. Who knows how long this button has spent floating on the endless seas.

He picked it up, it was light and grainy in his fleshy palm. "Wow… weird…" He whispered. Passing the box to the other hand, he went to rub away what he thought was sand on his palm, only to find it clean. The feeling was coming from the box itself.

The remaining team members reached him, huddling around the discovery. "What is it, Cubby?" Jake asked, peering over Cubby's shoulder.

"I'm not sure." Cubby replied, presenting the box for all to see. "It looks like a button of some sort."

"Is there a message on it? Any clue as to who it's from?"

Cubby checked the sides and the underbelly. There was nothing; no writings, no note attached, not even a symbol, just the inconsistent grains and the lone, cylinder switch. "Nope. Nothing."

Skully perched himself on Cubby's head. He found himself fixated to the box as if a small part of him wished it were full of savoury biscuits. They all stared at it for a while, waiting for something to happen. Thoughts ran with questions as to who was instrumental for the construction and delivery of this odd, little contraption. Could it be a gift from Peter Pan? Might the fairies have lost a trinket? Or could it even be that sneaky snook playing another one of his tricks?

Jake glanced over to the hidden entrance, checking for the off chance that Hook was activating the switch on the totem pole while they were huddled around the box like idiots. The metal-handed villain popped in his vision before he realised it was a figment of his imagination, a part of the brain that tried to predict what existed beyond his sight.

"What's up, Jake?" Izzy asked, noticing his suspicious glance.

Jake turned back. "It's nothing, I just thought I saw something for a second."

Izzy's thoughts turned back to the discovery. "Well, it looks like some kind of button." She commented, pointing at the circular knob. "Maybe we should try pushing it."

"What do you think might happen?" Cubby asked.

"Beats me. And there's only one way to find out."

"I don't know, mateys… What if it does something bad?"

"Just push it already." Skully said while jumping from Cubby's cranium and hovering above. "What's the worst that can happen? It might do something cool, like show us treasure." A smile grew on his beak. "It might even be filled with crackers."

"Skully, is that all you ever think about?" Jake asked, folding his arms.

The parrot nodded his head. "Yes sir, from Monday to Sunday. That's me."

"Nevertheless, you're right." Jake agreed. "Go on, Cubby. Push it."

"Okay…" Cubby raised his stubby finger over the box, prepping it ready to launch on a journey where no man has gone before. This was inevitable the second they gazed upon it. Even if they weren't to press the button today, sweet, sweet temptation would overcome their hearts sooner or later. "Here goes."

Imaginations swam, although not very wildly, as the digit closed in on the corner switch. None of them could think of anything precarious or breath-taking coming from such a tiny thing, unless the box was property to anyone of the mystical forces in Never Land. However, on the off chance that forces of unimaginable magic is unleashed, they just wished it was of the good, friendly kind, and not the kind that can make Never Land disappear into a cloud of smoke.

Cubby's finger pressed against the circle's surface, surprised by how smooth it was. He pushed it dow but nothngin seemd 2 hapen.

Tehy stare at % thebox oddly "what wuz that/?" Jak says. "di sumtin happen?"

"Boxes dos notithing"? Cuby saisd.

"It di nthing!1!" Skulty shouted angirlym. "I reaktj wanted teh crakerz!"

"Yay haty eno way :(" Issi sad..

"Aw,, cicinusyt!" Cyubny says

Jke and fiends llokedd at he box and thet\ wree sad tht it jdid nt do anythgin. **(A/N: I alzo is realy sad tat box no work )-: )**

Jke sez. "Push it againt cinny."

CUUBY PREZZED the button again, but still nothing happened. If nothing occurred the first time, then what were the odds of something happening on the next push? They began to wonder whether the device had any meaning or whether it was busted. Jake's eyes once more redirected themselves to the entrance, found it barren, then turned back. If the box were magical then they expected it to do something… well, magical. Jingle; sparkle; glisten; float; talk. If there was one thing that was tried and true about Never Land, it was that there was hardly anything dull.

Izzy frowned, disappointed. "I don't think it does anything."

Cubby pressed teh butoosn agin, ansd again, and aginzn, anf again, but it was pointless.

"Yeah, this thing isn't working." Cubby said.

"Still, we should keep a hold of it in our treasure room." Jake said. "Maybe we'll find out who it belongs to and return it to them."

"Good thinking, Jake. Maybe Misty knows something about it."

All of a sudden, Skully squawked. "Uh oh. Heads up, me hearties!" He stared off into the horizon. "There's a ship heading this way!"

The children looked across the sea, and there was a meagre dot advancing on them. Dull, faint, and colourless, it seemed to blend into the blue, and dart side to side on the orange like an optical illusion.

"Oh, great…" Jake muttered. He reached into his vest pocket and retrieved his spyglass. "Is that sneaky snook wanting to take our hideout again?" He brought the lens to his eye and focused on the dot. To his surprise, he found that it wasn't what he was expecting. "Wait… that isn't the Jolly Roger…"

"It's not?" Cubby said, sounding rather uncomfortable with that fact.

"No. It's…" He focused on the grey blur. "The Grey Raven." The spyglass dropped from his eye. Jake stared blankly into space. "Captain Cronus…"

"The new captain?" Izzy said.

Cubby instantly shuddered upon hearing his name, and instantly remembering his eyes. His tubby body quaked from head to toe, his blood turned to ice. Those eyes. "That scary captain is coming here? What do you think he wants?"

Jake clapped up the spyglass and placed in back in his pocket. "I don't know, Cubby."

"Do you think we can trust him?" Izzy asked.

Jake closed his eyes and sighed, irritated. "I don't know."

The unexpected event struggled to process in the leader's head. Had that been the Jolly Roger sailing towards them, he would have no doubts in locking up the hideout and preparing for the inevitable mishaps the cranky crook's luck always brought. If a friendly acquaintance were visiting, they would be there to greet them with open arms. However, Cronus and his crew were neither friends nor enemies, at least as far as they were aware of. They were a grey spot – just like their ship – on their black and white morality spectrum.

He continued. "We should play it safe."

"Play it safe how?" Cubby asked.

"We'll hide our hideout and keep an eye on them in secret." Jake began to walk towards the entrance. "If they're just exploring, we'll wait until they leave."

"What if they want to talk to us?" Izzy asked, following the leader's lead.

"Then we'll just have to catch up to them later. We can't risk our hideout on chance."

"That sounds like a plan." Skully said. "All hands to the hideout."

The crew ran down the beach. Jake reached the totem pole and pushed the tongue down. A gathering of palm trees against the mountain foot swept aside, giving way to a hidden entrance. They scrambled past the threshold and up the stairs; the door slammed shut and concealed itself behind them.

Inside the hideout, the crew jumped into action. Jake detracted the lookout point back down the tree hollow. Izzy and Cubby went to Water cannon Hill and pulled the lever, placing the roof down and disguising it as an ordinary hill. Learning from their past mistakes with Captain Hook, the crew ran to every hatch and window, and locked them tight, leaving no stone unturned. In their search they found one open hatch that, if left unchecked, would have granted anyone unlimited access to the inside.

The crew met up at the main hall, below the renovated cabin.

"Is everything all locked up, mateys?" Jake queried.

Izzy and Cubby saluted. "Aye aye, Jake."

Skully flew in from above. "We got everything. Nobody will be finding us anytime soon."

"Good work, crew. Now let's get to the window and keep an eye on them."

* * *

The Grey Raven dropped anchor as close to land as they could get without beaching themselves on it.

"So, this is where the hideout is." Cronus whispered to himself. "Subtle." He scanned the scene, and identified nothing but Mother Nature. They weren't called hideouts for no reason, as if the name – _hide-_out – wasn't obvious enough. The stories of Peter Pan and the Lost Boys would have been quite anticlimactic had they painted large, colourful signs above their hidey-holes.

Still, these weren't fully grown adults he was dealing with here, but children whose ages had yet to reach double digits. Except these kids that more stories to tell than any seasoned veteran of the high tides had had hot meals.

The crew got the rowboat sorted – take a while guess as to what colour it was – and sailed out. Animal stayed back on the ship to keep it guarded; Gloom, Trig, and Flint accompanied their captain, armed with shovels for the inevitable scooping of beach. The journey was short, barely lasting half a minute and requiring a good, few paddles. They reached the shore, disembarked, and tied the boat to a nearby rock.

Flint grimaced. "How is that even possible?" He was referring to the frigate exoskeleton impaled on the large knife of a rock. The wreck was cold, still and half eaten, like some titan had skewered it, took a few bites, left, meant to go back and finish what was started, forgot.

Trig huffed. "How many times do we have to tell you," He said. "This is Never Land. A lot of things are possible here."

Ever since they arrived, Flint's uneasy questions had been the bane of their existences. Every strange and unordinary detail within these lands, famed for containing things of the strange and unordinary variation, just could not settle of his mind.

Gloom stepped around them, deciding to play no part in this dilemma. Although with his lack of speech, he wouldn't have become a target that easily.

"Easy, you two. Remember our task here." Captain Cronus said.

* * *

From above the secret door, the pirate kids looked out from a hatch. The four men were dots on the yellow sand, wandering aimlessly as if they were blind. They never would have imagined that they would be hiding from an entity other than Captain Codfish. Times change, they guessed.

They kept the opening low and peeped out. Had anyone been gazing inwards they would notice a quartet of multi-coloured eyes staring out.

None of them had anything to say, they just watched and waited for the captain and his crew to make their move, whatever that was.

* * *

"Keep your eyes open, men." Cronus ordered while kicking up shells.

"For a buried chest?" Flint retorted. "With all due respect, Captain, It could be anywhere."

For once, he may have had a point. They were searching for buried treasure with no map and guided by word of a cranky has-been. The sand developed a dull hue like aged paper as if they were treading on the face of a giant map, only this one wouldn't simply indicate the treasure's location with an x. Maybe he had underestimated those children to think that their treasure would be so easy to find.

Gloom, at the other end of the seaside, waved over to his crew, trying to get their attention. Any other person would have just shouted, but not this man.

Trig noticed him. "Looks like Gloom has found something." They bolted to his location. "Would you look at that…?" He pointed. "We just dig up the x."

They glanced down, and there, etched into the sand, was the third-off-last letter of the alphabet. _X marks to spot._ Maybe those kids were just kids after all.

"Well… ain't that convenient." Flint smarmed. He treaded over to a shovel sticking up a few meters away in a sand dune. "And those scamps were kind enough to leave an extra shovel."

He leaned on the tool, only for it to shift under his elbow. He slipped, fell, and landed on an oyster shell, but the shovel stopped and clicked into place. Suddenly, from below the crude letter, something unearthed, startling the crew. A chest, painted red with edges of gold, rose from the sand. The inanimate sand demon spun three revolutions before coming to a halt.

The treasure chest was treasure in its own right. Decorated with a golden sword on the belly, pouches on the sides, the lock looked like a compass, and little stars flecked around the edges; it was a work of art. The engraving of a doubloon on the top was a clear indication of the insides.

"I think we found it." Trig said, stating the obvious.

* * *

"Aw, coconuts." Cubby said. "They've found our team treasure chest!"

"We can't let them take it." Izzy announced. "We worked too hard to collect all those doubloons to let them be swiped."

"That's right, Izzy." Jake pushed away from the hatch. "All hands on beach."

With that, the popinjays bolted down the hall, towards the hideout entrance.

* * *

"Get it open." Cronus ordered.

Flint knelt down and pulled on the lid, but it refused to part with the body. "It's locked, sir."

"Then unlock it."

Flint jammed the head of his shovel into the gap and pushed down. He stood up and drove his foot down on the handle. Ninety nine times out of a hundred, the chest would give way and not the tool. This instance was the one percent. The shovel snapped, the spade and handle separating.

"That didn't work…" Flint said. "Waste of a good shovel…"

Trig shoved him aside. "Let me try."

Trig got closer to the lock and got his knife. He inserted the sharp tip into the keyhole. He pressed his ear to the wood while rotating the blade in circles. His tongue seeped from his mouth, a side product of concentration. His eye squinted and closed in unpredictable fashion.

The silence was broken by the soft pitter-patter of incoming footsteps. Jake, his crew, and their parrot were heading straight towards them, having emerged from whatever hole they hid in.

"Ahoy, Captain Cronus." Jake shouted while bolting towards them.

"Hello, Jake, glad you could make it." Cronus gestured towards the chest, which his first mate was still in the process of picking. "I take it this is yours?"

"It sure is," Jake answered, having come to a halt before them. "And we'd like to ask you to leave it alone, please."

_Please? How polite. _"So Captain Hook was telling the truth..."

"You mean Old Feather Hat told you about this?" Skully inquired.

"Yes. I almost didn't suspect he'd do so."

While they talked, the strenuous expression of Trig's face gradually turned sour. He twisted the turned the blade faster and rougher, rendering the mechanism inside into nothing but dust. Despite all his efforts, the lid remained unmoving and defiant.

Trig pulled away, "No good." Stood up. "There must be something else keeping this chest shut. I can't pick it."

Cronus studied the expressions on the kids' faces. Until now, all treasure chests have been opened with one of the two methods used. The defiance of this current customers made his suspicious. Knowing these kids, and their connections to Peter Pan, fairies, mermaids, and several magical individuals, there was a chance that some of that mumbo-jumbo influenced the red and gold container. The sea lapped once more as if nature itself was mocking him.

Jake smiled. "Yeah. Good luck getting that open."

Cronus frowned, then turned to his crewmate. "Gloom, see what you can do."

Gloom stepped forward and knelt down before the red and gold container. He placed the tome on the sandy ground, open where he needed it. He hovered his hand before the lock and began to hiss.

"Lokzut iom keyfum…" A wisp of black smoke seeped from his palm and into the keyhole.

"Whoa…" Cubby whispered, enthralled by the stream. "Is that magic…?"

"…iwe opezun yulu."

The lid opened up like a jack-in-the-box, like an oyster shell more-so, revealing the pearl inside. The contents were more numerous and more valuable than any pearl they had ever seen. Captain Hook had, indeed, told the truth, all right. Hundreds of doubloons, not to mention the tiaras, necklaces and goblets entrenched amongst them, collected by mere children – people who were more likely to use them in coin games and bets as to how many they can jam into their nostrils as opposed to keeping them as prized possessions.

Jake and the Never Land Pirates gasped out loud. "No way!" They cried. The team treasure chest had been compromised, without the song. They had just accomplished in minutes what Captain Hook couldn't do in years.

The captain smiled, his blue eyes glowing gold in the fortune's midst. "Impressive. Not bad for mere children." Trig shut the lid and he and Flint lifted the chest by the handles and escorted it to the dinghy. "The Grey Raven crew are now the new owners of Never Land. All treasure you find is now our property. We'll take this as your first payment for living in Never Land."

"Rotten berries! You can't so that!" Skully squawked.

"I don't think so!" Jake shouted and charged towards them. "Give that back, now!"

He got close until the captain stuck his hand out in front of his face. Jake ran straight into the waiting palm and was stopped in his tracks. With a little force, Cronus pushed the young buccaneer back, causing him to fall over. In the time it took for his mateys to reach him, the captain and his crew had jumped into the dinghy and were sailing towards the Grey Raven, with the team treasure chest.

"Remember, we'll be back next week to collect more of your treasure as payment." Flint called over.

"Be sure to have it ready." Trig finished.

Izzy and Cubby reached Jake and helped him to his feet.

"Are you okay?" Izzy asked.

Jake answered. "Yeah, I'm fine." He brushed the back of his trousers.

"We can't let them get away." The green parrot said. "A new order? Who do they think they are?"

Every single doubloon over the course of hundreds of adventures was gone in a matter of minutes, nabbed by a pirate captain who they thought was decent enough. At the point in time, Jake remembered something. It whispered in his imagination the same way the Staff of Prospection did.

_One with such greed will force their hand_

_And cast off their disguise: the clothing of sheep_

Jake snapped out of his thoughts, this couldn't be it. He had assumed that the stick had foretold Sneaky Le Beak's rude intrusion last night. "We can't let them get away with it. Everyone to Bucky, we got to catch up with them."

* * *

Bucky sailed as fast as he could, trying his best to keep up with the Grey Raven. He had always been hailed by his friends as the fastest ship to sail the Never Seas, but his current performance wasn't living up to those statements. The grey ship was heading away from Never Land, that much they were certain.

The wind, usually cool and hinted with a joy that warmed the hearts of the adventurous, felt drab and rough. Their mentality was not up for the thrill of sailing the seas, not after being robbed.

Izzy glanced back at the mythical island, noticing the direction they were travelling. "Hold on. I know this route; we've sailed it before." She drummed her fingers against her bottom lip.

"Yeah, I remember it too, Iz." Jake agreed. "If I'm not mistaken, we'll be sailing towards…"

Izzy gasped in shock, her eyes widened, pupils shrank. "Pirate Princess Island!"

Jake's grip tightened on the steering wheel. "Full speed ahead, Bucky!" He hollered. "Give the sails everything you've got! We gotta catch up to that ship!"

Bucky clanged the bell in acknowledgement, but alas, his attempts were in vain. The Grey Raven disappeared from view. They had to get there fast, and there was nobody more eager to reach the castle than Izzy. The Pirate Princess was her hero, one of the very few people who she looked up to as a role model, even going so far as to dress like her at one point.

From the day they met, the pirates had always lent a helping hand; turning her back from gold; transforming the nasty Sea Witch into a nice one; giving her rainbow wand back. In return, the Pirate Princess has shown her eternal gratitude, and even made Izzy an honorary princess. Unfortunately for them, Captain Cronus was also aware of her gratitude towards the snot-nosed pirates. If it weren't for them, she would still be a golden figurehead on a crippled vessel hidden in a deep, damp, cold cavern.

Minutes later, they finally glimpsed Coral Castle, glistening on a cluster of rocks. Izzy peered at the scene through her spyglass. The first thing she saw made her heart sink. Any visitor to the Pirate Princess Island has to first pass the guard dog in the form of a giant, pink sea serpent named Cecilia. Cronus' ship was docked, and she could do nothing to stop them, seeing as her limbless body had been encased in ice.

The lens started to shake as Izzy saw the pained look on Cecilia's face. "Oh, no. Cecilia… She's been frozen in ice."

"Ice? Out here? In the warm Never Sea?" Cubby goggled at her. "That's impossible."

She hovered the sights over the entrance. The Grey Raven crew were marching out, dragging behind them a couple of chests and an oversized purse. The top of the bag peaked open, unveiling sparkling diamonds.

"They're stealing her treasure!" Izzy announced, her grip constricting so hard she was in danger of crushing the scope. "We're too late!" She held back every urge to not smash her spyglass on Bucky.

The Pirate Princess herself barged from the alcove, her face red with anger, and her rainbow wand gripped in her hand. She swung the wand above her head before pointing it at the men pilfering her. An arc of light, in the spectrum from red to violet, shot from the crystal tip. Before the ray hit them, Gloom waved his hand and summoned a dark barrier that surrounded the crew. The rainbow clashed against the wall of magic, crackling with sparks of white. With another wave of the hand, the barrier pushed the spectrum back until it hit the Pirate Princess. She was launched back, dropping her wand and skidding on the ground. She came to a halt when her head banged on the first step. Her purple hat bopped off her head and rolled to her side.

The plundering pirates boarded their vessel and rapidly made a swift getaway, having collected their due and were off to collect – steal – more valuables from the locals.

"Captain Cronus!" Izzy screamed as they passed. "What have you done?!"

The Grey Raven passed by, ignoring the call. It was a clear message that they were going to steal what they wanted and nobody, especially a bunch of scrawny nippers, was going to impede them. Jake was in two minds about whether to resume chase on the ship, but acted against it. He commanded Bucky to dock at the castle. As the kids rushed from the walkway, the princess of pirates staggered to her feet, tending to the back of her cranium.

"Pirate Princess? Are you okay?" Izzy asked, lending her a hand.

The Pirate Princess rubbed the back of her head. "I'm… I'm fine." She stumbled to the railing. "But Cecilia isn't. I need to get her thawed, quickly!"

Cecilia had been frozen from the tip of her tail all the way up to his chin, her face barely staying above the water. She groaned a weak wail. Tears forming in her eyes.

"Those fiends!" Izzy said, slamming a fist into the railing. "How did this happen?"

"When they showed up, Cecilia went to greet them, but that bald man with the robe cast an ice spell on her."

"There's got to be someplace where we can melt the ice." Jake said. His attention turned to a certain map reader. "Cubby?"

Cubby reached into his pocket and got his map. "Yeah, there is." He pointed to an oval, water icon on the south section of Never Land. "According to my map, there are hot springs in Never Land that we can use."

Jake then turned to the pirate lass. "Izzy, this is an…"

"You don't have to tell me twice." Izzy interrupted as she reached into her pouch and grabbed a dash of dust. "Pixie dust away!"

She threw the dust onto the frozen sea serpent, and she rose above sea level. This way, they would be able to guide her massive frame back to Never Land in the shortest amount of time. The Pirate Princess got on her golden ship and sailed alongside Bucky. They tied ropes around her lengthy body and began to sail her to Never Land. Two galleons towing a flying sea serpent in an ice cube was a sight that only attracted the attention of the seagulls that drifted overhead.

"Thank you, pirates." The Princess hollered from her ship. "I'm glad you came along when you did."

"You're welcome, Pirate Princess." Jake replied. "What did those men take from you?"

"My diamonds, my ornaments, trinkets and heirlooms, anything of value."

"But they didn't steal your ship?"

"Or your rainbow wand?" Cubby added

"I know." She eyed her wand. "Cronus said they were tools that I would need to find more treasure, but they've already taken everything from me. They even took my jewellery. Most of those were my families, passed down through generations."

"Yay hey, no way!" Izzy cried. "I don't suppose they said some trash about being the new owners of Never Land?"

The Pirate Princess' hazel eyes shot open. "Have they stole from you too?"

"Yeah," Skully said. "Our team treasure chest."

"You have a deepest sympathies." She said in the most sincere fashion she could muster.

"Don't worry about that for now." Izzy comforted. "Our concern is to get Cecilia warmed up. We'll get your diamonds and your jewellery, and our team treasure chest back from those brutes." A brave, determined smile appeared. "We promise."


	11. Chapter 10: Best Laid Plans

**Author's note**

**I'd first like to apologise for the delay, as you may have noticed the space between updates has gotten wider with each chapter. I've been finding these late chapters to be harder to write. In my previous stories, there have been month long gaps between updates, but I assure you, I will not let that happen here. I will try to be more punctual with the next chapters, but I can't make any promises.**

**Thank you guys for sticking with me. Enjoy this chapter.**

**-Youwillneverseeme**

* * *

**Chapter 10**

**Best Laid Plans**

Water simmering at just the right temperature – not too hot or too cold – steamed in the pools. The grey beards overhead danced among the canopy, diving in and out of leaf and vine. In the largest body of water they could find, Cecilia lay mostly submerged, save her head. Her warm and thawed body was free to move, but unable to. Her head lay at the side, globs of sea serpent snot dripped from her nostrils. Her eyes were flying half-mast and bloodshot.

The Pirate Princess patted her pink cheek. "There, there, Cecilia," she cooed. "You just stay here and rest."

The Pirate Princess couldn't remember the last time her beloved guardian had ever got sick; perhaps this was the first, which would most likely explain why she doesn't know what to do.

From the underbrush, the pirate kids emerged, carrying baskets of fresh fruit. They were hoping that the rich vitamins and nutrients would give her immune system the added boost to fight her whale of a cold.

"We're back, Pirate Princess," Izzy announced, holding up her basket proudly. "We've brought some healthy snacks for her. These should peep her up a bit."

Cubby held an oversized hot water bottle and jolly roger dotted blanket, both of which obscured his tiny frame except for his legs at the bottom. "And some necessities that we found on-board Bucky." He said as he poked his head out from the side and smiled.

The princess perked up, glad that her friends had returned. "Did you hear that, Cecilia?" She further patted the sea serpent, the cheek was more rubber than scales. "They're back, and they've brought you some stuff."

Cecilia unexpectedly twitched her eyes, then opened her mouth. She inhaled a quick gasp, followed by another of higher tremor, then another one – even higher. Her head pulled back with every gasp like a windup toy ready to recoil.

"Oh, dear…" The Pirate Princess murmured, stepping backwards.

Jake and his friends dived behind a nearby, uprooted, moss-ridden tree trunk, dropping a few of nature's candy in the process. "Take cover!" Skully yelled.

The Pirate Princess fled and leapt behind a rock as the sea serpent reached a crescendo. Cecilia sneezed, bellowing a thunderous achoo. A hundred mile-per-hour gust slammed into them, bringing back fond memories of Breezy Valley to the young buccaneers. The sneeze was over quickly, and the five peeked out to survey the scene, now flecked with dabs of mucus. Cecilia sniffed a glob of snot back up her nose.

The princess quickly found her place at the sea serpent's side once more. "It's okay. Let it all out." She comforted her, yet kept her distance. The last thing the highness needed was to catch what she'd gotten. If only they invented giant-sized handkerchiefs…

"Will you be fine looking after Cecilia while we go after your stuff?" Jake asked, setting down his basket before them. "If you want, we can stay and help out…"

Cubby took the blanket and draped it around the serpent's neck, then filled the bottle with water from the spring until it was filled to the brim. With help from his mateys, he set it on her head. The only thing they couldn't find on Bucky was a thermometer.

The Pirate Princess picked an orange from the trove. "There's nothing much more that you can do," she said as she peeled away the skin and offered the inners to her guardian, who gobbled them up. "You're best chance now is to catch up with Cronus and get back our stolen property."

"You can count on us," Izzy said, "But, if you need any more of our help, you know where to find us."

"I'll bear that in mind, my pirate friends." She fed Cecilia a mango. Already the sea creature seemed to perk up. "Now, go and teach that man a lesson he'll never forget."

Waving goodbye to Cecilia, the Pirate Princess, and the hot springs, the children made their way back towards Bucky, who was docked near Mermaid Lagoon. They rushed back, breezing past palm trees and boulders and shrubbery and even Tick Tock Croc at one point, not even stopping to acknowledging his intimidating presence. This left the ticking crocodile confused.

They boarded their trusty pirate ship and set sail, they're next goal was to locate the Grey Raven. Considering there weren't many things in Never Land that were grey – besides Skull Rock – tracking them down shouldn't be too hard, that is if they haven't turned tail and vanished for good, in which case, they were sunk. After a while of drifting around Never Land's perimeter, they finally located the ship docked in the northern section, close to where the Never Land desert stood.

"Uh, oh…" Cubby whispered. "If they've docked here, then that can only mean one thing…"

Jake peered over with his spyglass and spotted the captain and his lackeys heading down the ramp and marching off towards the unforgiving sands, leaving the smartly dressed pirate, Flint, in charge of the Raven.

"This is perfect for us," Jake said. "With only one guy on guard, we should have no problem sneaking on-board."

"But, Jake, what about Captain Flynn?" Skully protested. "We're just going to leave him?"

Jake retracted the spyglass. "We may never get a chance like this again, Skully." He replied sternly. "If we're going to find out what they're planning, it has to be here." He slid down the slide and walked towards the portside. "Bucky, prepare the dinghy."

* * *

In an inflatable raft nearby, Jake and his crew paddled towards the grey ship. The dinghy bounced side to side as they fought the waving waters. The life jackets around their torsos were perfect fits, but made breathing that ever slightly more difficult at the cost of making them buoyant.

They paddled closer and closer, churning the oars slowly, making the least amount of noise possible. The mission was simple: sneak on-board, find out what they were planning, get their treasure back, and leave, all without alerting the crew. However, all this sounded easy in theory, it wouldn't be until they got up close and personal would they discover the true difficulty of their plan.

The first part was proving to be easy enough, so far, at least. They bounced against the back, the colour made it seem like they were coming under a cliff face. Izzy grabbed the rudder so the boat didn't float away.

Skully took point and flew up towards the cabin window. "Sheesh, you'd think they'd keep a window clean…" He murmured unnecessarily loud as he bobbed around, searching for a break in the dirt. His human mateys shushed him in unison.

Skully found a clean spot and peeped inside. The interior was just as dark and murky as the glass. He could only make out the back of a chair, the flat table surface, and two misshapen candles – both extinguished. He edged to the right and caught the edge of what he presumed was the bed. To the left, something glinted in his eyes, dull in the darkness, but shone with the help of a singular ray of light. It looked like gold, it might have been their treasure, but there was no way to be sure, not unless they got inside. There was so much uncertain except for one thing: the captain wasn't home.

Skully swooped back down and whispered, "The cabin's empty, the coast is clear."

"Awesome coconuts." Cubby replied. "Now to our next question…" He looked up at the tall wall. "How do we get in there? Too bad cabin windows can't be opened."

Jake glanced around to the front. "We'll have to get in through the door." He took the paddle again. "Come on, mateys."

They paddled the raft towards the middle. The side continued to bounce off the wood, making only light, muffled thumps to give away their positon. The masts high above rotated as they passed under, offering brief glimpses of protection from the midday sun. They reached the side of the main deck, where the floor would be at its lowest, granting them the easiest access. Fortunately, the decorative edgings and closed cannon hatches were secure handholds for them. They climbed up and peeked over the deck, through the balustrades.

They saw the wide stretch of grey flooring and one member of the crewmate tasked with guarding the ship. Flint paced around restlessly, kicking his shoes up from the deck. His flintlocks were out of the holsters and in his hands, waving back and forth. They ducked their heads as he passed.

They could hear Flint's mumbling: "Why is it my turn to stay here? Why not Animal? Or Gloom? Or Trig?" He pointed his gun up into the sky as if he were ordering it to change colour. "And why can't I shoot something worthwhile?" He fired a shot, causing the kids to jump. "Just give me one good target – one little thing – that's all I'm asking." He murmured while he slotted a fresh lead ball down the muzzle.

The ramblings ceased to halt while the echo from his spent shot fizzled out. If he caught sight of any of them, there was a good chance that would be enough reason for him to let another bullet go wild.

"Uh oh…" Izzy whispered. "How are we going to get into the cabin without him seeing us?"

"We're going to need a distraction." Jake suggested.

"Leave that to me," said Skully. "I'll make some noise at the front, and when he's distracted, you guys sneak in through the door. While you're searching around, I'll stay out here and keep an eye on mister loose cannons here. If anything changes, I'll let you know."

"Sounds like a plan; just be careful he doesn't see you."

"I got everything all under control." Skully said before fluttering off.

The parrot flew around the ship and under the bowsprit. He popped up at the foredeck, the front of the ship. He shot a quick look and found the trigger-happy man still parading around the main deck like a sheep in a pen. Skully looked around, and found no shortage of objects to make some noise with. A few barrels – an empty bucket atop one of them – was all he needed. He flew forward and pushed against one of the cylinder containers with the top of his head.

Skully panted, _what are they keeping in these barrels? Marble?_

It took him a good portion of a minute and plenty of staggering strength, but the bird overcame the defiant barrel, toppling it over. It hit the next barrel, the one with the bucket, and knocked that one down like dominoes. The bucket rattled against the floor, and the contents of the barrel spilled out. Dozens of metal balls rolled across the deck; they were too small to be called cannonballs and too big to be called bullets. The noise was ear shattering – a blend of wood and metal on wood. It was louder than what Skully had been hoping for, but it worked because Flint spun in his tracks.

"What the devil?" Flint called out. His surprised face turned to shock as the first of the miniature cannonballs tumbled down the stairs, step after step of dense thuds. "Are you kidding me? What did I do to deserve this?" He rushed up to the foredeck, nearly stepping on a couple of metal spheres. The tension in his features heightened upon seeing the 'accident'. "The captain's not going to like this… and it just had to be me here! None of this ever happens when the others take guard duty. No sirs, no madams."

Skully caught Flint's anger from the safety of behind the bowsprit. He looked over the deck and spotted his mateys tiptoeing across. They reached the cabin door, opened it up, and snuck inside, closing the door behind them.

* * *

Everything went pitch black the moment they closed the door. Their retinas, too used to the optimum sunlight of the great outdoors, felt disorientated by the sudden switch in contrast. The white dots in the window shone like the gemstones back in that tomb. Jake nearly flinched as he imagined them hurdling towards him.

The popinjays' nostrils were attacked by an obnoxious smell – a hot concoction of stale bread, salty meat, oily fish, and warm beer. Every sniff stabbed at the sinuses and inflamed the throat, forcing them to breathe through their mouths. A feeling on entrapment, claustrophobia, caved in on their minds like they were buried alive in a coffin for giants and inhaling the last molecules of oxygen.

Their eyes adjusted to the dark, materializing a desk, bookcase, and a bed. The walls and floor failed to brighten, most likely due to having no colour, just like the rest of this monotonous place. Izzy entertained the thought of going wild with a brush and a bucket of pink paint, anything to rid her retinas of the horrid shade.

Little did they know, the Grey Raven Crew had actually tried painting the ship once with some paint they nabbed from somewhere – where that was, however, they couldn't remember. They attempted painting the deck a warm brown, the cabin walls a relaxing blue, and the steering wheel vibrant gold. The monochrome wood, wherever it spawned from, didn't like the change in pitch, and, for whatever reason, refused to let the paint dry, no matter how long they left it. So, they ended up scraping the idea and rolled with the pallet that lay between black and white. Unfortunately for them, they were still finding patches of wet paint among the corners and crevices.

In the corner lay an assortment of wealth, valuables, and treasure alike. From the first glance, it was obvious that neither the team treasure chest nor the Pirate Princess' diamonds were among them. What there was though, was no less impressive; a crystal sword and emerald monkey being some of them.

"Look at all that treasure," said Cubby. "If he's already got a small fortune, then why is he stealing from others?"

"Yeah," said Jake, "you'd think he'd be happy with what he's got, and that there'd be no need to steal someone else's."

"Maybe he's gathering it for some special reason?"

"Or maybe he's just plain greedy?" Izzy commented.

Cubby steps over to the chest and opened it up. A scowl forms on his usually cheery face. "I wish we could take some of this," he said, and picked a few coins out, "just so he knows how it feels to have the treasure you worked so hard to get be taken from you."

Jake placed a calming hand on Cubby's shoulder. "I know how you feel," he said, "but two wrongs don't make a right. If we steal their stuff, we'll be no better than them."

Izzy took gentle hold of his other shoulder. "We're going to stop this, and we're going to do this without becoming them."

Cubby eyed the coins and jingled them about, then sighed and placed the currency back where it belonged before shutting the lid. The building urge to steal all the treasure, an eye for an eye, made executing those simple actions more difficult than he thought.

Jake eyed something sprawled on the table. "Check it out, mateys." He picked up the sheet, but struggled to make out the markings. The silhouette resembled a splat. He scooted around the table and held it to the dim light. "I think it's a map of Never Land."

At first he realised the shape of the island, then noticed the surrounding one. He focused closer and discovered that there was writing on the paper, scrawled in thick, black ink next to each location. He squinted, but couldn't make it out.

Jake continued. "It's no good, I need more light."

Izzy opened the draws on the desk and rummaged around, locating spare quills, sheets of paper, loaded inkwells until she spotted a box of matches. Taking a single redheaded stick from the box, she struck it against the rough side – let there be light! The flame created an orb of light, sparkling it the kids' eyes. Izzy brought the flame to the two candle at either end of the desk, spreading the powerful element around. As soon as both candles were light, she extinguished the match with a quick puff from her lungs.

Jake planted the map back on the table, the dual candles shone light on the surface. The map of what he thought was Never Land was, indeed, Never Land.

Cubby stood on the chair to get a better look. "Hey, look," he pointed at the southern zone map, "here's Pirate Island." His hand went to the north-east. "There's Skull Rock." He continued to name places, pointing them out as he went. "There's Pirate Princess Island, and there's Crimson Isle. King Crab Island. Pirate Rock. The Island of Bell. And that's Neptune City."

"And what about the writing next to those places?" Izzy leaned in closer to Pirate Island and quoted: "One treasure chest? Possibly more hidden in hideout?" Her eyes drifted to Pirate Princess Island. "One purse of diamonds?" Then to Red Jessica's home island. Her heart sank lower and lower each bullet point named. "One ruby heart. Ruby pearl necklace. Crystal rose." She darted with wide eyes at the lists across the page. "The golden claw. Captain Flynn's golden scarab. He's marked down locations for treasure all over Never Land!"

"Shiver me timbers…" Jake gripped the desk tightly. "This is bad. We've fallen victim to Cronus' scheme to swipe all treasure in Never Land, and everyone else is next."

Indeed, what they were looking at was less a map and more of an overvalued shopping list. In the week they lived in Never Land, they had gained the favour, trust, and friendship of every inhabitant just to get a better look at what lined their pockets. This amount of planning and patience to devise such a thing made it worse than anything Captain Codfish could ever conjure, and already the early reports showed more success.

"That two-faced snake…" Izzy sieved. "And to think we actually considered him the okay sort."

"He's tricked all of us, Iz, and now it's up to us to stop him." Jake said before rolling up the map. "We need to take this and show it to everyone." He handed it to the little map reader. "Will you carry this?"

Cubby took the map and slipped it in his vest pocket. "You got it, Jake."

All of a sudden, a rattling on the glass startled them. They faced the window and just barely made out a small, floating figure floating outside. Jake stepped forward and peeked through the break in the grime. It was Skully.

He pecked at the glass some more, dotting the tip of his beak with dirt. "They're coming back!" His frantic words sounded muffled. "You gotta get out of there! Now!"

Upon hearing those words, Jake spun to his crew. "Step lively, mateys! Time to go!"

They made a dash for the door, Izzy blew out the candles as they went. The sudden shift in brightness blinded them, causing them to stumble back in a disorganised fashion. They creaked the door open and dared to peak outside. The deck was empty with Flint collecting the miniature cannonballs at the front. As they exited, the sound of heavy footsteps knocked up the ramp, mere metres away from their position.

* * *

Cronus and company hiked up the boarding ramp, its steepness being the most strenuous part of their visit to Captain Flynn. Each of them carrying a box full of goodies. The golden scarab in the captain's arms was a joy to be the proud owner of. Sure, it was heavy, but weighty meant genuine.

There was no surprise amongst them when the legendary pirate showed heavy protest about having his goodies stolen. He, like the captain before him, put up a real fight, and he, like the captain before him, was no match for the audacity in Ezekiel Cronus' duelling capabilities. Not only did he suffer a humiliating defeat, but taking the golden scarab triggered an endless swarm of locusts out of the pyramid.

He reached the main deck and spotted three grapeshot slugs rolling by. They came to a rest near his cabin, bouncing against the wall, door, and bottom step. The captain traced to the foredeck and saw the man he left in charge of guarding the ship popping rounds back into the barrel.

"Flint, what's going on here?" Cronus dropped his loot causing the sophisticated pirate to jump. "I give you one, simple job and I come back to find ammunition on the floor."

Flint shrugged. "I didn't do anything, Captain." He protested while shoving another ball down the container. "It fell over by itself."

"I don't care if or if not how this mess started; you were tasked to guard the ship, you take full responsibility for any occurrences."

While he talked, the remaining crewmates stepped onto the deck and eased their loads, more gently than he did, down.

Cronus continued. "And that gunshot better not have hit that barrel, because if it did…"

"I'm telling you it fell over by itself."

Animal's nostrils flared. He sniffed the air, drawing in with quick, rapid breaths – the same way a dog would. He cocked his head towards the back, smelling around the door to the captain's cabin.

"What's up, Animal?" Trig asked. "Smell something icky?"

Animal sniffed again. "No," he said, "quite the opposite, in fact. It smells clean…" He snuffled deep and loud. "Like soap and water, with a hint of strawberries…" With one final snort, he stood upright. "…and coconuts."

They didn't call him Animal for no reason, exactly why his captain had good reason to deny him as being human. Life in poverty required the nimble pirate, as a wee lad, to hone his senses. He could smell the wisps of cooling, apple pie and fresh bread from a mile away. His sharp nose combined with his light and fast nature was a recipe for success.

Animal ran his head from the door to the railing. "It would seem that something, or someone, climbed on-board, entered the cabin, and then left the way they came in."

"What?" Captain Cronus muttered. He barged past the tiny man and swung open the door to his abyss. He marched inside and bolted out mere seconds later. "My map! It's gone!" He swept his arm across the deck. "Spread out and find the thief!"

Animal leapt to the railing and looked down. Nothing but empty water awaited him, but his instincts suggested that the smell resonated fro down there. He turned right, charged up the stairs and onto the quarterdeck. He got to the back railing. There, fifty metres away, a yellow raft drifted; its occupants paddling away.

"I found them!" Animal yelled at the top of his lungs. "They're getting away!"

The captain bolted up the stairs and straight to Animal's side. He got his spyglass and brought it up. The people sailing away had their backs to him, but he could recognise that black, spiky hair from anywhere.

Ezekiel's face burned red. "Those lost boys! They stole my map! They know everything!" He thrust his finger towards the sails. "All hands of deck! I want full sails! Don't let them get away!" He roared.

The crew had never worked faster than they did at that moment. Trig and Flint hoisted the anchor while Animal and Gloom opened the sails. Captain Cronus took the wheel and turned it as hard right as he could. Had it been up to him, he would turn this ship around like it was hinged to a clock axis, but that's not how galleons worked. The quality of a ship could only be measured by how wide the sails were and how strong the winds blew. The wooden bird lurched forward first, building up speed like a stampede of elephants, and the turning came second.

* * *

Finishing the last paddle his energy reserves could muster, Cubby let his arms go slack. He wiped away beads of sweat that escape the brim of his bandanna. The coconut macaroon pancakes – with a generous spread of syrup blended from the same variety of drupe – that he had for breakfast wasn't providing him the energy boost he had hoped for. Getting his breath back, he risked a look over his shoulder. The sweat trickling down intensified.

"Uh, guys…" Cubby murmured as he tapped Jake on the shoulder. "We've got a problem."

Jake stopped paddling and turned around. "What is it, Cu…?" His words trailed off upon seeing what his matey was seeing.

The Grey Raven was mobile and making a turn straight towards them, having completed half of its arc.

Jake plunged the tip of his oar back into the water. "Quick, mateys. We gotta speed up!"

"Crashing crackers!" Skully cried. "We'll never make it!"

They paddled as fast and strong as they could, battling both the waves and their own impending fatigue, but there was only so much they could achieve with a paddle operated boat and outrunning full-sized ships wasn't one of them. The Grey Raven had now completed its turn and was heading straight towards them, cutting through sea and air.

"It's no use," Izzy said between pants, "we'll never get away this way."

As if a light bulb had went off, Jake jumped to his feet. "There's only one thing we can do." He cupped his hands around his mouth. "Bucky, we need you!"

Follwing his lead, Izzy and Cubby got up and called, "Bucky!" Their collective voices formed one, unique dialect that echoed throughout the mountains.

Like a dog hearing a silent whistle, Bucky sprang from where he was docked and sailed straight towards them, ringing his belt as if they symbolised beating feet. As he advanced, the kids looked back to find the colourless one growing on the horizon, the crashing of hull against water reaching their ears.

"Faster, Bucky, faster!" The pirate children called.

Thankfully, Bucky arrived first having to travel less distance. Jake and his mateys climbed on-board.

"Great job, Bucky!" Jake said as he went for the steering wheel, stripping off his lifejacket in the process. "Now, it's time to give Cronus to slip."

"But, how?" Cubby asked while he and Izzy opened the sails. "We couldn't catch up to their ship before; how are we going to escape from them now?"

"You're forgetting one very important thing, matey…" Jake said with a smile as he took the helm. "Bucky here is no ordinary pirate ship." He turned to the bell behind him. "Ain't that right?"

Bucky clanged the bell once more, in a tune that suggested enthusiasm, signalling agreement.

* * *

The little buccaneer's ship zipped past, blasting away with an allotment of speed. Cronus turned the wheel, giving chase. The slow, painful turn cost the Grey Raven some distance, making the kid-sized boat look like a toy bobbing in a warm bath, but with no bubbles or rubber ducky.

Never Land shifted beside them, the occupants and dwellers among the green going about their daily routines, unaware of the chase commencing between the clashing pirate crews. Even with the disruption caused by the pilfering of Captain Hook's, Jake's, the Pirate Princess', and Captain Flynn's treasure, it was still small news to the whole of the island. It was like no matter how hard any of them tried, they would never make a permanent, lasting expression on Never Land.

Animal shouted from the crow's nest high above, having spied on them with the glass. "Did you see that, Captain?"

"What, Animal?" Cronus shouted back up.

The Grey Raven closed the gap between them and Bucky. All of a sudden, they turned at a pace that was way too sharp for any pirate ship to achieve, garnering more distance between themselves.

Animal replied. "I got good look at their ship, Bucky, as it picked them up."

"What about it?" Cronus asked while he span the wheel the other way.

Animal paused, pondering whether his next breath was worth it. "There was nobody on-board."

"Nobody?" Cronus said disbelieving, facing the sky as if he were talking to God. "You mean to tell me that pint-sized boat magically sailed itself?"

"Well, Captain," Animal said, "magic does seem like a popular notion on Never Land."

Again, the Grey Raven got close, and again, that yacht and its crew of unloved, forgotten children banked in the opposite direction. The predator was having trouble catching the prey.

Cronus grumbled. "That doesn't matter now. All that matters is catching those snot-bags." He threw the wheel in the other direction. "And they're proving to be quite the slippery lot." He took one hand off the wheel to point down at the deck. "Load the chain shot!"

* * *

"Yo ho way to go, Bucky!" Jake hollered as they drifted around the chasing vessel. Cronus may have been fast, but they had smarts and nimbleness on their side.

Izzy leaned over the railing and gazed towards the Grey Raven. "Yay hey, this is easier than I thought," she said.

Cubby stood beside her, watching as they made another pass. "All we have to do is shake them just long enough to lose them." He spoke with an unfound vote of confidence. "We can dive underwater and…"

That feeling didn't last long as suddenly a series of blasts erupted from the pursuing ship. The cannons went up in smoke, and a volley of swinging chains came towards them high, clapping like the wings of bats.

Jake turned the wheel. "Bucky, look out!" He yelled as the chains zoomed over their heads.

Bucky skidded on the water, but could dodge the incoming fire. One of the chain shots caught the main sail, tearing it straight from its rivets. The fancy, gold doubloon logo was no more. Jake and the Never Land Pirates' hopes were torn at the same moment the fabric was.

"Yo ho, oh no!" Jake barged down the ladder. "Now we'll never outrun them!"

Skully swooped down from the top. "Crackers! We're stranded out here!"

Cubby's pupils narrowed to pinpoints as he stared outward. "And we're sitting ducks to… them."

As they spoke, the Grey Raven was straddling towards their position, lining themselves up to board. They would have the most part of a minute before they reach them.

Izzy charged through the door to the empty cabin and returned with a folded up, white sheet. "We need to get Bucky up and running again. I'll head up there and replace the destroyed sail with this one."

"Great idea, Iz," Jake said, "but be quick, they'll be on top of us any moment now."

Izzy slung the sheet over her shoulder and climbed the rope ladder, the deadly drop below failed to deter the brave, pirate lass of only seven years. Jake, Cubby, and Skully stood in place and watched as she ascended, climbing on hand and foot. Unexpectedly, shade overcast them, darkening the ship and sending a chill running up their spines. They turn and find the Grey Raven right there, directly beside them, blocking out the sun.

Captain Cronus waved his hand over the boat and bellowed. "Haul it in, boys!"

Upon barking that command, a barrage of hooks swung towards Bucky. The kids on deck ducked for cover as the claws rattled on the wood, clawing and gripping on whatever they could.

Cronus turned his open palm into a closed fist, with an outstretched index finger, and pointed it towards Jake and his crew. "Now, seize them!"

With no need to drop the walkway or even swing across in true swashbuckling style, Trig and Flint jumped from the deck and landed on Bucky's. Animal ran down the extent of the yard and jumped from the grey mast to the brown one, close to where Izzy was fixing the sail. Gloom went to jump, only for him to slip on a rogue grapeshot. He fell overboard, and both he and his precious magic book separated, landing at either end of the children's ship deck.

Trig slapped his forehead, sighed and said. "Gloom, you buffoon…" He turned his only eye to the little leader. "Come here, you brat!"

The two pirate boys and their parrot matey edged back as the two menacing men advanced on them. Gloom stumbling on all fours towards his tome. The three looked at each other with worried eyes… and turned their frowning faces into smirks.

Jake reached behind his back and retrieved his wooden sword. "Well, fellas…" He spoke to them in a cocky manner. "You'll just have to catch us."

Trig and Flint lunged forward, only for the kids to disperse, running in three directions – Skully taking to the sky. Trig chased Jake who was making a break back up the ladder while Flint followed Cubby around the foot of the main mast. Jake reached the top of the ladder. Trig was halfway up when the handles slid straight from the roots, leaving the first mate with no legs to stand on. He tumbled back down.

Izzy was fixing the second corner of the fresh sail when she saw Animal balancing across the yard, heading towards her. He walked like the thin beam was as wide as a country path.

"I admire your spirit, little girl," he smarmed, "but did you honestly think—?"

The entire shaft under his feet swung clockwise, knocking the agile cutthroat off balance. It was as if the ship were swatting him away like he was some pesky bug. His arms waved and his left leg stuck out in a bid to retain balance. Just then, the beam stopped and changed direction. Animal slipped off, but managed to grab hold. With a few more rough shakes, Animal lost his grip and flew through the sky. He missed the edge of the foredeck by two feet and landed in the water. After a few seconds, he emerged from the cold deep. His long, black hair was plastered around the entirety of his head, allowing only his nose to peek out.

"Thanks, Bucky," she said as she climbed up towards the lookout castle. "You're the best."

Gloom crawled across the floor like a whimpering dog, inching closer towards his book, which lay open on page forty-nine. He was inches away when a plank shot up, knocking it away, sending it across the floor. It came to a halt right before Cubby's feet.

"I've got it." He said as he picked it up. The leather cover eclipsed his entire body.

Flint caught up to him, his hands contorted into claws. "And I've got you, blubber bucket!" He was moments from grabbing Cubby when a green parrot wearing a black bandanna zoomed past his face, tickling his nose. It squawked with laughter while buzzing around his head. "You disease-ridden pest!" He screamed while changing his target from the blubber bucket to the disease-ridden pest.

"Hey, that's not very nice." Skully said before chuckling. "Didn't your mother teach you anything about manners?"

Flint chased Skully, swatting and clawing at him as he twisted and turned in the air. He never wanted to fire his gun so badly, but his captain didn't wish of him using dangerous weapons on such young children.

Trig was moments away from climbing up to catch the spiky haired leader when the floor beneath his feet gave away to a hidden trap door. Down in the dark pit, the first mate's happenings could only be imagined by the thud. Jake laughed and took the slide back down, re-joining his buddies as they played catch with the big, mean pirates. Cubby passed him, with Gloom not far behind. All Jake had to do was stick his foot out, and the angry, bald man tripped over it.

"Thanks, Jake." Cubby said.

"Anytime, Cubby."

Their eyes were drawn to the girl's voice that called out from above. "Yay hey, mateys, I got the sail fixed." She cheered as she hooked the final corner around the pin. The white sheet bent outwards, already catching some strong winds. She took hold of a rope and descended to her mates. "All we need to do now is get unhooked."

Jake approached one of the claws on Bucky's railing and jammed the end of his sword into the gaps. "Hang tight, I'll get you free in no time."

As the chaos erupted all around, Captain Cronus stared on in dismay; his band of ruthless, talented, dangerous men were being made a fool of by a bunch of babies in bandannas. The emotions he was exhibiting must have been similar to Captain Hook when he lost to Peter Pan.

Suddenly, Flint scrambled up the side of the Grey Raven, relentless in his bid to catch Skully. They climbed back to the bigger ship and danced on the spacious wooden floor. Finally, after much clutching, Flint succeeded and caught Skully in his gunpowder-scented grasp.

"Hey!" Skully cried, his fragile body being crushed by the man's vicious grip. "Let me go!"

Flint turned to the captain, his eyes could melt steel. "Captain, do you have any objections to me shooting this miserable creature out the cannon?"

Cronus' first instinct was to protest against that idea… until he took another glance at the situation unravelling before his eyes. Animal was doggie paddling back towards the ship, Gloom was flat on his face, and Trig was nowhere to be seen – still stumbling around whatever festered beneath the surface of that baby boat. A lesson needed to be taught here, and what better way than to show them what they were capable of.

"Not at all, Flint." Captain Cronus nodded. "You need to blow off some steam anyway."

Without saying another word, Flint stepped over to one of the lone cannons and wheeled it to the edge, close to where another crate of grapeshot's stood.

He brought the parrot to his face so their eyes were meeting. "I take it that was you who caused that little 'accident' earlier…" He hissed, saliva flecked on Skully's beak. "Have you ever wondered how grapeshot works?" He threw the parrot down the muzzle, then reached for a handful from the stockpile. "Now's your chance to find out!"

Skully wheeled head over tail down the shaft. Soot and grim clung to his feathers, paving them black and brown. The smell was awful, a combination of powder, oil, fire and metal. He came to a stop at the dead-end, the exit a circle of blue and green in the distance. He attempted to spread his wings, but the confined space obstructed his range. Suddenly, the patch of light darkened as something obscured it. Several grapeshot rounds entered the muzzle and rolled down towards him. He attempted to hop over them, but his tail got caught.

He struggled to breathe as more rounds rolled on top of him, blocking the only exit. "Jake; Izzy; Cubby; help!" He screamed weakly.

From outside, in the fresh saltwater air, his mateys watched in horror as he was forced down the neck of the weapon.

"Oh no!" Cubby screamed and pointed. "He's going to shot Skully towards Never Land!"

"I know an emergency when I see one." Izzy said as she reached for her pouch. "Pixie dust—!"

A burly hand shot from the floor and clamped hold of her wrist. Before she could react, Trig climbed up from the hatch and wrapped his thick arms around her body, pinning her arms by her sides. She thrashed her head side to side, kicked out with her red boots, wriggled and squirmed, but she couldn't get free.

"You big bully!" She yelled. "Yay hey no way!"

Cubby screamed her name, then suddenly felt a creeping sensation latch to his leg. He swung around and caught sight of Gloom catching him with his crooked-nailed fingers. He stood up, clutching the blonde-haired boy's shirt with one hand while prying his book back with the other.

Jake gasped. "Izzy! Cubby!" He pulled his sword away from the hook and charged, screaming at the top of his lungs. He was a foot away from Trig when something grabbed hold of him by the beck of the neck, pulling him to a halt and hoisting him off the floor.

He was turned around, and instantly his warm, green eyes came into contact with a pair of cold, blue ones. Cronus reached out and yanked the wooden sword from his miniature grasp, rendering him unarmed – helpless.

"You think this is all just a game, boy?" The captain narrowed his stare.

Jake switched his gaze from him to the cannon. "Let him go. He hasn't done anything to you."

Just then, Flint held up an alight botefeux and slowly lowered the tip towards the fuse. His face had the biggest grin he could muster. He had been looking forward to this for a long time.

"I'm afraid that command is out of my hands…" Cronus said. He presented Jake before the scene, offering him a front row seat to the spectacle. "Behold the price for your defiance."

As the fuse lit, the children kicked and squirmed with rigour strength. They tried desperately to save their friend. They yelled, screamed and begged for them to stop.

In all the noise, Jake went silent. His jaw hit the floor, pupils narrowed, his skin paled.

_Metal will drop and dust will slew_

The cannon exploded, sending ammunition and one live parrot hurdling across the air, straight towards Never Land. Skully felt one of the balls dig deep into his belly, pushing aside his internal organs. He span uncontrollably, his vision a blue of blue and green and blue and green. Everything was silent, the sound of air replaced with a dull ring. He made out the trunks of the trees as he and they zoomed past. A grapeshot ball hit a coconut tree, breaking through the timber.

The last thing he remembered was hitting the ground.

And then nothing.

_And that which is found will soon become lost_

"SKULLY!" Cubby shrieked. His pale complexion turning as white as a ghost.

"NO! YOU MONSTER!" Izzy screamed with every molecule of air in her lungs. "How could you?!"

Jake's mouth was open, but no words were coming out. He continued to stare at where Skully had made his express trip straight to dry land – one way trip, no returns. He couldn't believe it. He wanted it to be a dream, to be false, to be a lie, but he couldn't deny his eyes.

The staff had predicted the loss of their friend.

"Feeling better now, Flint?" Cronus asked. He received his answer with a single word: 'much'. He turned back to his other cremates. "Search them."

Trig plucked the pouch of pixie dust off of Izzy's neck while Gloom retrieved from Cubby two sets of maps: Cronus' and his own. They offered their findings to the giant of a captain.

"Good work, men." Cronus commemorated as Animal hoisted himself from the sea like a drowned rat, water leaking from every fibre. "Now, let's take these snoops to the hold. I think some punishment is in order."


End file.
